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Daneshmandi, A., Rahmani, H. and Walzer, A. and Jalaeian, M. 2014.
Intraguild predation among three phytoseiid species in the absence of Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Phytoseiidae, Tetranychidae) |
Intraguild predation (IGP) contains elements of competition and predation. Three of phytroseiid (Acari: Phytoseiidae) predators, the non-native predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus, and two native predatory mites Typhlodromus bagdasarjani and Phytoseius plumifer, are potentially biological agents for controlling two spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) in greenhouses in Iran. Thus, we checked the ability of the three predatory mite species to prey on larvae of each other [the intraguild (IG) prey] in the absent of Tetranychus urticae. Adult females of each of the three predatory species were individually placed into cages and provided with 6 larvae of the two heterospecific predator over 4 consecutive days. IG preys were replenished and predation rates were recorded every 24 h. The cages were checked every 30 min over a period of 480 min for the first successful attack. The number of cases in which the first prey attack was observed during 8 h and the average time till the first attack were equally balanced between the two offered IG prey species for females of N. californicus , T. bagdasarjani and P. plumifer. The predation rates per day of the predator females, however, were affected by the species affiliation of the offered IG prey. Neoseiulus californicus females consumed more P. plumifer larvae than T. bagdasarjani larvae, T. bagdasarjani and P. plumifer females more N. californicus larvae than P. plumifer and T. bagdasarjani larvae, respectively. Further experiments are needed to show the nutritional value of IG preys relative to development and egg production of the predatory females. |