title: Life cycle of Cosmolaelaps jaboticabalensis (Acari: Mesostigmata: Laelapidae) on Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and two factitious food sources.
abstract: The aim of this work was to study the life cycle of Cosmolaelaps jaboticabalensis Moreira, Klompen and Moraes preying on Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), a serious cosmopolitan pest of different crops, as well as on Protorhabditis sp. (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) and Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Astigmatina: Acaridae), prospective factitious foods for the mass rearing of the predator. Experiments were conducted in a chamber at 25 ± 1 °C, 70 ± 10 % RH and in the dark. Total immature development (egg-adult) was completed in 12.3 ± 5, 6.6 ± 0.6 and 7.1 ± 0.6 on F. occidentalis, Protorhabditis sp. and T. putrescentiae, respectively. Fecundity and intrinsic rate of increase were higher on Protorhabditis sp. (71.6 ± 9.1 eggs/female; 0.28 female/female/day) than on F. occidentalis (63.8 ± 14.8; 0.23) and T. putrescentiae (43.1 ± 8.9; 0.23). Cosmolaelaps jaboticabalensis reproduces by thelytokous parthenogenesis and its larval stages can be completed without feeding. Protonymphs and deutonymphs can survive in the absence of food for about a month, and adults for almost 2 months. It was concluded that C. jaboticabalensis is a promising biological control agent of F. occidentalis and that it may be mass reared with the use of Protorhabditis sp. or T. putrescentiae.
authors.affiliation: Depto. de Fitossanidade, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Câmpus de Jaboticabal, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, CEP 14884-900, Brazil, grabiologia@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Grazielle Furtado
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: Matheus Rovere
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: de Morais
authors.forename: Antônio Carlos
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Busoli
authors.forename: Gilberto José
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: de Moraes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D007814:Larva / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008925:Mites / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D012098:Reproduction