Intraguild predation and cannibalism between the predatory mites Neoseiulus neobaraki and N. paspalivorus, natural enemies of the coconut mite Aceria guerreronis

AbstractCoconut is an important crop in tropical and subtropical regions. Among the mites that infest coconut palms, Aceria guerreronis Keifer is economically the most important. We conducted surveys throughout the coconut growing areas of Brazil. Samples were taken from attached coconuts, leaflets, fallen coconuts and inflorescences of coconut palms in 112 localities aiming to determine the occurrence and the distribution of phytophagous mites, particularly A. guerreronis, and associated natural enemies. Aceria guerreronis was the most abundant phytophagous mite followed by Steneotarsonemus concavuscutum Lofego & Gondim Jr. and Steneotarsonemus furcatus De Leon (Tarsonemidae). Infestation by A. guerreronis was recorded in 87% of the visited localities. About 81% of all predatory mites belonged to the family Phytoseiidae, mainly represented by Neoseiulus paspalivorus De Leon, Neoseiulus baraki Athias-Henriot and Amblyseius largoensis Muma; 12% were Ascidae, mainly Proctolaelaps bickleyi Bram, Proctolaelaps sp nov and Lasioseius subterraneus Chant. Neoseiulus paspalivorus and N. baraki were the most abundant predators on attached coconuts. Ascidae were predominant on fallen coconuts, while A. largoensis was predominant on leaflets; no mites were found on branches of inflorescences. Leaflets harboured higher mite diversity than the attached coconuts. Mite diversity was the highest in the state Pará and on palms surrounded by seasonal forests and Amazonian rain-forests. Neoseiulus paspalivorus, N. baraki and P. bickleyi were identified as the most promising predators of A. guerreronis. Analyses of the influence of climatic factors revealed that dry ambient conditions favour the establishment of A. guerreronis. Neoseiulus paspalivorus and N. baraki have differing climatic requirements; the former being more abundant in warm and dry areas, the latter prevailing in moderately tempered and humid areas. We discuss the significance of our findings for natural and biological control of A. guerreronis.

Download Full-text

Acute and non-lethal effects of coconut oil on predatory mite Typhlodromus ornatus (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Systematic and Applied Acarology ◽

10.11158/saa.23.7.10 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 (7) ◽

pp. 1333 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Giselle Freitas ◽

Maria Clezia Santos ◽

Vanessa Lira ◽

Andreia Galvão ◽

Eugenio Oliveira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Functional Response ◽

Vegetable Oils ◽

Natural Enemy ◽

Coconut Oil ◽

Predatory Mites ◽

Predatory Mite ◽

Aceria Guerreronis ◽

Lethal Effects ◽

Coconut Mite

Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) ornatus Denmark & Muma (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is one of the predatory mites associated with the coconut mite Aceria guerreronis (Acari: Eriophyidae), a serious coconut pest in Africa, Asia and America. Vegetable oils such as coconut oil have been shown to efficiently control A. guerreronis, however their side effects on predatory mites remain poorly investigated. Here, we evaluated the lethal and non-lethal effects of coconut oil on repellence and functional response of the predatory mite T. ornatus, a natural enemy of A. guerreronis. Based on LC50 estimates, coconut oil was over 6-fold less toxic to T. ornatusthan to its prey, A. guerreronis. Additional repellence and predation bioassays show that the coconut oil neither repels nor interferes in the functional response of T. ornatus preying upon A. guerreronis. According to our selectivity approach, the coconut oil is compatible with the predatory mite T. ornatus.

Download Full-text

Coconut destiny after the invasion of Aceria guerreronis (Acari: Eriophyidae) in India*

Zoosymposia ◽

10.11646/zoosymposia.6.1.26 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 160-169 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

M. A. HAQ

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Critical Assessment ◽

Bakery Products ◽

Aceria Guerreronis ◽

Agricultural Income ◽

Northern India ◽

Coconut Mite ◽

Farming Community ◽

The People ◽

Considerable Damage

The coconut mite, Aceria guerreronis Keifer, has emerged as a common menace to most of the coconut plantations in India. After its first upsurge in Kerala at the end of the 1990´s, the mite has spread to many states in southern and northern India, causing considerable damage. Coconut provides one third of the agricultural income in the regions in which it is grown and more than 10 million people are dependent on this cash crop directly or indirectly through coconut-based industries like coir, copra, oil, honey, furniture, handicrafts, beverages, bakery products and so on. The economic instability of the coconut farming community and the people employed in coconut-based industries rank the highest order. A critical assessment of the various problems created by A. guerreronis in the agricultural economy of India is presented in order to supplement data on crop loss through nut malformation, nut fall, loss in fibre and copra. Varietal differences in susceptibility of the plant and future strategies in terms of management practices for an early control of the mite are discussed, and suggestions for future activities to alleviate mite damage are presented.

Download Full-text

Surveys for natural enemies of the tomato red spider mite Tetranychus evansi (Acari: Tetranychidae) in northeastern and southeastern Brazil

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.1395.1.2 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 1395 (1) ◽

pp. 33-58 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

KOMI K.M. FIABOE ◽

MANOEL G.C. GONDIM JR ◽

GILBERTO J. DE MORAES ◽

CALLISTUS K.P.O. OGOL ◽

MARKUS KNAPP

Keyword(s):

Natural Enemies ◽

Spider Mite ◽

Predatory Mites ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Tetranychus Evansi ◽

Eastern Brazil ◽

Three Samples ◽

Red Spider Mite ◽

Solanum Americanum ◽

Solanaceous Plants

Surveys for predators of the tomato red spider mite Tetranychus evansi Baker & Pritchard on solanaceous plants were carried out in north-eastern and south-eastern Brazil to determine prospective species for the control of the pest in Africa. Surveys were carried out in areas identified as climatically similar to regions in Africa where T. evansi has been reported as a pest and where prospective natural enemies may be introduced. A total of 56,445 mites and insects were found in 330 samples collected from 20 different species of solanaceous plants. Tetranychus evansi was found in only three samples, on Solanum americanum Mill. and Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.. A total of 5,023 specimens of predatory mites, of at least 44 species, and 494 specimens of acarophagous insects, of at least three species were collected. The predominant predatory mites were (in decreasing order): Phytoseius guianensis DeLeon, Pronematus ubiquitus (McGregor), Asca sp., Paraphytoseius orientalis (Narayanan, Kaur & Ghai), Phytoseius woodburyii DeLeon, Amblyseius compositus Denmark & Muma, Homeopronematus anconai (Baker), Neoparaphytoseius sooretamus (El-Banhawy), Cunaxoides sp., Typhlodromus paraevectus Moraes & McMurtry, Typhlodromalus peregrinus (Muma) and Phytoseius cismontanus DeLeon. However, no predatory mites were found in association with T. evansi. Among the insects, although not the most abundant, Stethorus tridens Gordon seemed to be most promising, as it was found associated with T. evansi in all samples in which the latter was found. Feltiella sp. was the most abundant acarophagous insect found, but it was never found associated with the pest.

Download Full-text

Rearing of coconut mite Aceria guerreronis and the predatory mite Neoseiulus baraki in the laboratory

Experimental and Applied Acarology ◽

10.1007/s10493-007-9125-7 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 37-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

P. H. P. R. De Silva ◽

L. C. P. Fernando

Keyword(s):

Predatory Mite ◽

Aceria Guerreronis ◽

Coconut Mite ◽

Neoseiulus Baraki

Download Full-text

Size of predatory mites and refuge entrance determine success of biological control of the coconut mite

BioControl ◽

10.1007/s10526-016-9751-2 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 61 (6) ◽

pp. 681-689 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Fernando R. da Silva ◽

Gilberto J. de Moraes ◽

Izabela Lesna ◽

Yukie Sato ◽

Carlos Vasquez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Predatory Mites ◽

Coconut Mite

Download Full-text

The invasive coconut mite Aceria guerreronis (Acari: Eriophyidae): origin and invasion sources inferred from mitochondrial (16S) and nuclear (ITS) sequences

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1079/ber2005382 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 95 (6) ◽

pp. 505-516 ◽

Cited By ~ 75

Author(s):

D. Navia ◽

G.J. de Moraes ◽

G. Roderick ◽

M. Navajas

Keyword(s):

Sequence Data ◽

Common Source ◽

Aceria Guerreronis ◽

Dna Sequence Data ◽

Coconut Mite ◽

Ocean Region ◽

Invasion Routes ◽

History Of ◽

Nuclear Its ◽

Production Areas

AbstractOver the past 30 years the coconut mite Aceria guerreronis Keifer has emerged as one of the most important pests of coconut and has recently spread to most coconut production areas worldwide. The mite has not been recorded in the Indo-Pacific region, the area of origin of coconut, suggesting that it has infested coconut only recently. To investigate the geographical origin, ancestral host associations, and colonization history of the mite, DNA sequence data from two mitochondrial and one nuclear region were obtained from samples of 29 populations from the Americas, Africa and the Indo-ocean region. Mitochondrial DNA 16S ribosomal sequences were most diverse in Brazil, which contained six of a total of seven haplotypes. A single haplotype was shared by non-American mites. Patterns of nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) variation were similar, again with the highest nucleotide diversity found in Brazil. These results suggest an American origin of the mite and lend evidence to a previous hypothesis that the original host of the mite is a non-coconut palm. In contrast to the diversity in the Americas, all samples from Africa and Asia were identical or very similar, consistent with the hypothesis that the mite invaded these regions recently from a common source. Although the invasion routes of this mite are still only partially reconstructed, the study rules out coconut as the ancestral host of A. guerreronis, thus prompting a reassessment of efforts using quarantine and biological control to check the spread of the pest.

Download Full-text

AGGRESSIVENESS AND PREDATION PREFERENCE OF PREDATORY MITES AMBLYSEIUS SWIRSKII (ATHIAS-HENRIOT), NEOSEIULUS CALIFORNICUS (MCGREGOR) AND PHYTOSEIULUS PERSIMILIS (ATHIAS-HENRIOT) (ACARI: PHYTOSEIIDAE) TOWARDS TO HETEROSPECIFIC LARVAE

Ecologica Montenegrina ◽

10.37828/em.2015.3.7 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. 46-55

Author(s):

Somayeh Haghani ◽

Azadeh Zahedi Golpayegani ◽

Alireza Saboori ◽

Hossein Allahrari

Keyword(s):

Intraguild Predation ◽

Phytoseiulus Persimilis ◽

Predatory Mites ◽

Neoseiulus Californicus ◽

Behavioral Characteristics ◽

Amblyseius Swirskii ◽

Adult Females ◽

Preference Index ◽

The Mean ◽

Tetranychus Urticae Koch

Behavioral characteristics such as aggressiveness and predation preference of the phytoseiid predatory species, Amblyseius swirskii, Neoseiulus californicus and Phytoseiulus persimilis (Acari: Phytoseiidae) were investigated when applied together. We quantified the chance and time of a successful attack to a heterospecific larva as aggressiveness of adult females. In order to the determine the predation preference of adult females equal combination of con/heterospecific larvae were presented to as prey in absence of their main prey (Tetranychus urticae Koch) for 24 h. Experiments were carried out in growth chamber at 25±1 ºC, 65±5% RH and 16:8 (L: D) hour photoperiod regimens. The results showed that adult females of N. californicus needed 39.65±7.46 min. to attack and kill the larva of P. persimilis which was remarkably less than that recorded (227.80±28.38 min.) for adult females of P. persimilis to attack and kill N. californicus larva. N. californicus was estimated more aggressive than P. persimilis. The mean estimated attack time of A. swirskii and P. persimilis was estimated 18.55±2.89 and 201.70±25.42 min., respectively. A. swirskii was considered more aggressive than P. persimilis against heterospecific larvae. The predation preference index (Manly´s β) were indicated that N. californicus was able to recognize con/heterospecific larva, resulted more preference for heterospecific larvae (P. persimilis) in absence of T. urticae, while adult P. persimilis showed no preference (between con and heterospecific larva). Manly´s β, for A. swirskii was 0.706 and 0.294, for P. persimilis 0.369 and 0.630 on hetero and conspecific larvae, respectively. Results of this study showed that, A. swirskii and N. californicus are general predators were able to roecgnize con/heterospecific larva and preferred to feed on heterospecific larvae and get benefit from intraguild predation.

Download Full-text

Geographical and seasonal distribution of the coconut mite, Aceria guerreonis (Acari: Eriophyidae), in Puerto Rico and Florida, USA

The Journal of Agriculture of the University of Puerto Rico ◽

10.46429/jaupr.v74i3.6656 ◽

1969 ◽

Vol 74 (3) ◽

pp. 237-251

Author(s):

Forrest W. Howard ◽

Edwin Abreu-Rodríguez ◽

Harold A. Denmark

Keyword(s):

Puerto Rico ◽

Florida Keys ◽

Mite Species ◽

Planting Density ◽

Population Fluctuations ◽

Aceria Guerreronis ◽

Coconut Mite ◽

Amblyseius Largoensis ◽

Almost All ◽

First Time

The coconut mite, Aceria guerreronis Keifer, was collected for the first time in Puerto Rico in 1977. It was reported for the first time in Florida in 1984, although it may have been present in the state since the 1950s. On the basis of damage symptoms observed during 1986-87, the coconut mite was distributed in almost all plantings of coconut in Puerto Rico. The percentage of trees with symptoms was highest on the west coast, where planting density is highest. During the same period, the percentage of coconut palms infested with coconut mites varied from 66 to 98% at different sites on the Florida Keys. On the Florida mainland, the percentage of trees with coconut mite damage was usually less than 7%. At several sites on the Florida mainland revisited in 1988, coconut mites had spread locally. At Playa Tres Hermanos in Añasco, Puerto Rico, and Bahía Honda Key, Florida, where monthly sampling was conducted, coconut mite population fluctuations did not appear to be strongly associated with dry and wet periods or mean daily temperatures. A list of mite species associated with the coconut mite was reported. It included four species reported for the first time in Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, Bdella distincta preyed on both coconut mite and Steneotarsonemus furcatus. In Florida, Amblyseius largoensis, Neoseiulos mumai, and N. paspalivorus were observed preying on coconut mites. However, these predators apparently do not significantly affect coconut mite populations. Tarsonemus sp. inflicted damage on the coconut similar to that caused by the coconut mite. Coconut mites beneath tepals of coconuts exposed to —1.5° C for 5.5 hours were not affected adversely by this treatment. Some eggs remained viable after exposure to —3° C up to 5 hours. Coconut mites survived at 5° C for 10 days. Thus, coconut mites are capable of surviving most winters on the Florida mainland.

Download Full-text