Respuesta funcional y numérica de Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor, 1954), (Acari: Phytoseiidae), sobre Tetranychus urticae (Koch, 1836), (Acari: Tetranychidae) en condiciones de laboratorio.

Abstract

Neoseiulus californicus is one of the most used predatory mites in biological control. In order to estimate the efficiency of this mite, a study was conducted evaluating the functional response and numerical response of N. californicus in the laboratory, using as prey the mite Tetranychus urticae, being one of the most harmful pests in agriculture. The trial was conducted in the laboratory of the Institute of Acarology Agricultural Zoology, Faculty of Agronomy of the Universidad Central de Venezuela, with an average of temperature and relative humidity of 28.13˚C and 55.38% RH. The purpose of the treatments was to determine the ability of mite N. californicus as a predator. Predatory females of each treatment were fed with eggs of the prey species and proposed densities were 5, 12, 19, 26 and 33. Each treatment was replicated eight (8) times and evaluated every 24 hours. The variables measured were number of eggs consumed by the predator and the number of eggs laid by the same daily. With respect to the functional response was obtained as result a tendency to increase the number of eggs consumed by N. californicus as the density of prey was increased, with a maximum of 43 eggs consumed in 48 hours, when the density of prey offered was 33 eggs per day. With regard to the numerical answer, there was a trend of increase in the oviposition of N. californicus as increased consumption of prey by the same, up to a maximum of 23 eggs laid during the longevity of the female.