Effect of different diets on the development and fecundity of the predacious cunaxid mite Neocunaxoides arboreus (Acari : Cunaxidae)‎ at different laboratory conditions

Abstract EN

This study was undertaken to study the biological aspects on the common predacious cunaxid mite species, Neocunaxoides arboreus (Den Heyer) (Acari: Cunaxidae).

It was reared on free living nematode (Rhabditella muscicola Chitwood), acarid mite, Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Shrank) and Aspergillus flavus Link.

at different laboratory conditions.

Current studies showed that, the lower temperature 20 ºC significantly increased the life periods of individuals in comparison with 35ºC.

The study showed that the obtained incubation period when the males of N.

arboreus fed on different diets showed slightly differences between the different individuals and recorded 6.79, 6.81 and 6.77 days when the males fed on the free living nematode, acarid mite and A.

flavus, at 20 ºC, respectively.

The results cleared that the life cycle of obtained males significantly differed according to the introduced diets, as, it longest when the mite fed the acarid mite (29.09 days) and shortest on A.

flavus (24.09 days), but the resulted life cycle on the living nematode recoded (27.74 days).

However, the results indicated that the averaged longevity of N.

arboreus male individuals recorded 28.96, 26.48 and 31.81 days when thee mite fed on free living nematodes, acarid mite and A.

flavus, respectively at 20 ºC.

The same trends were observed for the different males and females at 25, 30 and 35 ºC, as the kind of foods significantly affected on the biological aspects (incubation period, life cycle, longevity and life span of N.

arboreus) males and females.