Abstract

RODRIGUEZ, H; MONTOYA, A  and  FLORES-GALANO, G. FEEEDING BEHAVIOR OF Amblyseius largoensis (MUMA) ON Raoiella indica (HIRST). Rev. Protección Veg. [online]. 2010, vol.25, n.1, pp. 26-30. ISSN 2224-4697.

Feeding behavior of Amblyseius largoensis on Raoiella indica was determined on excised Areca catechu leaves infested with all the stages of the prey. The studies were carried out under laboratory conditions at 25,42±1,21 °C and 57,54±6,54 % RH. Gravid females of the predatory mites were previously kept in starvation in hermetic plastic boxes for 24 hr. The starving females were then placed on experimental arena: A. catechu leaves infested with all the stages of R. indica were placed on water-saturated cotton layer in Petri dishes. The leaves were surrounded with wet cotton. The activity of the phytoseiid mite was observed continuously under a dissecting microscope for 30 min. The number of prey killed was 1,30; the percentage of successful attacks, 39,39 %; and the mean time spent on feeding on each prey was 74,65 seg. A. largoensis fed on egg, larva, nymph and female stages. Most of the time was spent on prey foraging, grooming and resting. Results showed, for the first time, that A. largoensis can feed on R. indica, what supports its possible use in the management of this exotic mite.

Keywords : Amblyseius largoensis; Raoiella indica; palm red mite; biological control; feeding behavior.

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