Impact of a tarsonemid prey mite and its fungal diet on the reproductive performance of a predatory mite

Phytoseiid predatory mites are the most important group of biocontrol agents currently implemented in protected cultivations worldwide. The possibility to produce these predators at high densities on factitious prey mites is a crucial factor for their success. Commonly used factitious prey mites comprise mainly species belonging to the cohort of Astigmatina. In the present study, we investigated the potential of tarsonemid prey mites as a food source for the spider mite predator Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) (Acari: Phytoseiidae). The oviposition of N. californicus on mixed stages of Tarsonemus fusarii Cooreman (Acari: Tarsonemidae) was similar to that on its natural prey, the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae). As most tarsonemids are specialized fungus-feeders, we tested the effect of different fungal species on the growth of T. fusarii. Subsequently, we analysed the impact on the fungal growing medium on the oviposition of N. californicus. The fungal growing medium of T. fusarii had a significant effect on the reproductive output of the predatory mite, having a negative effect. When T. fusarii was separated from the rearing medium, these detrimental effects were not observed. The present study shows the potential of using tarsonemid prey mites in the production of predatory mites.

The Biodiversity of Water Mites That Prey on and Parasitize Mosquitoes

Water mites form one of the most biodiverse groups within the aquatic arachnid class. These freshwater macroinvertebrates are predators and parasites of the equally diverse nematocerous Dipterans, such as mosquitoes, and water mites are believed to have diversified as a result of these predatory and parasitic relationships. Through these two major biotic interactions, water mites have been found to greatly impact a variety of mosquito species. Although these predatory and parasitic interactions are important in aquatic ecology, very little is known about the diversity of water mites that interact with mosquitoes. In this paper, we review and update the past literature on the predatory and parasitic mite–mosquito relationships, update past records, discuss the biogeographic range of these interactions, and add our own recent findings on this topic conducted in habitats around the Laurentian Great Lakes. The possible impact on human health, along with the importance of water mite predator–prey dynamics in aquatic food webs, motivates an increase in future research on this aquatic predator and parasite and may reveal novel ecological functions that these parasitic and predator–prey relationships mediate.