Shakoor Muhammad Waleed, Kamran Muhammad, Alatawi Fahad Jaber
Department of Plant Protection, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Exp Appl Acarol. 2025 Apr 10;94(3):51. doi: 10.1007/s10493-025-01016-8.
The biology and predation of the generalist predator, Chrysoperla carnea (Stephen) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) were studied while feeding on motiles of two economically important spider mite pests: citrus brown mite (CBM), Eutetranychus orientalis (Klein) (Acari: Tetranychidae) and date palm mite (DPM), Oligonychus afrasiaticus (McGregor) (Acari: Tetranychidae) under low relative humidity (RH) (35 ± 5%). Results showed that the predator larvae did not pupate when fed on CBM and DPM motiles at both low and high RH. The shortest total predator larval duration was against motiles (14.65 ± 0.15 days) and eggs (15.42 ± 0.80 days) of CBM at low and high RH, respectively. Adult longevity, however, was higher when C. carnea was fed on the eggs of Ephestia cautella (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) (male: 32.00 ± 1.61 days; female: 36.75 ± 0.25 days) than CBM eggs (male: 13.00 ± 0.00; female: 31.00 ± 2.00). The highest total predation by the predator larvae were found against the eggs of CBM (12671.11 at high RH) followed by motiles of CBM and DPM (4696.53 and 4088.16 at low RH), respectively. Considering the significance of CBM and DPM as a pest in the arid climate of Saudi Arabia, it is essential to understand how C. carnea responds to these pests at low RH. These results depict that the predator larvae voraciously fed on eggs and motiles of mite pest species revealing its potential use as a biological control agent against spider mites at both low and high RH levels. The high predation rate and completion of life cycle on the eggs of CBM could also be considered as satisfactory indication of the potential use of C. carnea larvae for spider mite management. The inability of the predator larvae to complete the life cycle against motiles of CBM and DPM could help to devise a management plan for multiple/repeated releases of the predator larvae.
在相对湿度较低（35±5%）的条件下，研究了多食性捕食者普通草蛉（Chrysoperla carnea (Stephen)，脉翅目：草蛉科）以两种具有重要经济意义的叶螨害虫的活动螨为食时的生物学特性和捕食情况，这两种害虫分别是柑橘褐螨（Eutetranychus orientalis (Klein)，蜱螨亚纲：叶螨科）和枣椰叶螨（Oligonychus afrasiaticus (McGregor)，蜱螨亚纲：叶螨科）。结果表明，在低湿度和高湿度条件下，捕食者幼虫取食柑橘褐螨和枣椰叶螨的活动螨时均未化蛹。捕食者幼虫的最短总幼虫期分别是在低湿度和高湿度条件下取食柑橘褐螨的活动螨（14.65±0.15天）和卵（15.42±0.80天）时。然而，当普通草蛉取食粉斑螟（Ephestia cautella (Walker)，鳞翅目：螟蛾科）的卵时，成虫寿命更长（雄性：32.00±1.61天；雌性：36.75±0.25天），而取食柑橘褐螨卵时（雄性：13.00±0.00；雌性：31.00±2.00）较短。捕食者幼虫的最高总捕食量是针对柑橘褐螨的卵（高湿度下为12671.11），其次分别是柑橘褐螨和枣椰叶螨的活动螨（低湿度下分别为4696.53和4088.16）。考虑到柑橘褐螨和枣椰叶螨在沙特阿拉伯干旱气候下作为害虫的重要性，了解普通草蛉在低湿度下对这些害虫的反应至关重要。这些结果表明，捕食者幼虫贪婪地取食叶螨害虫的卵和活动螨，揭示了其在低湿度和高湿度水平下作为叶螨生物防治剂的潜在用途。普通草蛉幼虫对柑橘褐螨卵的高捕食率和生命周期的完成也可被视为其幼虫用于叶螨管理的潜在用途的令人满意的指标。捕食者幼虫无法针对柑橘褐螨和枣椰叶螨的活动螨完成生命周期，这有助于制定捕食者幼虫多次/重复释放的管理计划。
