Survival, fecundity and reproductive recovery period of Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) during long-term preservation on maize pollen and after switch to Tetranychus urticae Koch.

摘要

Immature stages of the predacious mite, Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) were reared on eggs of Tetranychus urticae Koch and gravid females were preserved on pollen of maize, Zea mays L. for 30, 45, 60 and 80 days. Afterwards, pollen was shifted to prey eggs for 15 days to evaluate their survival, fecundity and reproductive recovery period. All adult females of N. californicus survived the different maintenance periods and the following 15 days after pollen switch to the prey. Furthermore, predator females consuming pollen produced relatively few eggs during the preservation experiments, while they laid the majority of eggs during 15 days after pollen change to T. urticae without a second mating. The fecundity during the conservation periods significantly increased with increasing the maintenance period, whereas the reverse occurred subsequent to the shift to the prey. Moreover, the reproductive recovery period after the switch to T. urticae was inversely associated with the preservation period. Therefore, maize pollen is a useful alternative food for long-term survival and for maintaining fecundity of N. californicus females to exhibit an adequate numerical response to T. urticae at a subsequent time.