Variation in the olfactory response of 13 populations of the predatory mite Amblyseius womersleyi to Tetranychus urticae-infested plant volatiles (Acari: Phytoseiidae, Tetranychidae).
We studied the response of the predatory mite Amblyseius womersleyi collected in 13 different sites in Japan toward Terranychus urticae-infested kidney bean leaf volatiles in a Y-tube olfactometer. The predatory mites were collected from eight plant species infested by one of three tetranychid mite species. The predators' responses to the infested-leaf volatiles varied from 33% to 97% among the populations. The predators collected at 10 sites showed a significant preference for infested-leaf volatiles, whereas those collected at three tea plantations did not distinguish between the infested- and uninfested-leaf volatiles. We discussed the possible factors that affected the olfactory response of A. womersleyi towards the infested leaf volatiles.
Maeda
T
T
Laboratory of Ecological Information, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Japan. taro@kais.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Takabayashi
J
J
Yano
S
S
Takafuji
A
A
D000818:Animals; D008925:Mites / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D027805:Phaseolus / Q000502:physiology*; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011235:Predatory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D012903:Smell; D014835:Volatilization