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Ricoseius loxocheles (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is not a predator of false spider mite on coffee crops: What does it eat?

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Abstract

Ricoseius loxocheles (De Leon) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is often found in coffee crops and is known to feed on coffee leaf rust, Hemileia vastatrix Berkeley and Broome (Uredinales). As the occurrence of coffee leaf rust is limited primarily to the rainy season, the mite may use other food sources to survive during the periods of low pathogen prevalence. It is well known that phytoseiid mites can survive on a variety of food sources, such as herbivorous mites, fungi and pollen. We evaluated the ability of R. loxocheles to survive and reproduce on a diet of Brevipalpus phoenicis Geijskes (Acari: Tenuipalpidae), cattail pollen (Typha spp.), clover rust (Puccinia oxalidis), bee pollen (Santa Bárbara® dehydrated pollen, Santa Bárbara, MG, Brazil) and coffee leaf rust. Ricoseius loxocheles did not survive or reproduce on any B. phoenicis stages tested (egg, larva, adult). The survival and oviposition of R. loxocheles were directly affected by the presence of coffee rust urediniospores, but not by the presence of the prey. Survival and oviposition of the phytoseiid were similar when fed cattail pollen, clover rust and coffee leaf rust but was lower when fed bee pollen. Our results show that R. loxocheles is not a predator of B. phoenicis but it is able to utilize other resources besides coffee leaf rust.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Students-Postgraduate Agreement Program—PEC-PG, CAPES/CNPq—Brazil, Minas Gerais Research Support Foundation (FAPEMIG), Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) and National Council of Science and Technological Development (CNPq) for the scholarships and the financial support. We also thank Robert Holdbrook (Lancaster University, UK) and the anonymous reviewers, for the language review and constructive comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, Section Acarology, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil

    Henry E. Vacacela Ajila, João A. M. Ferreira, Felipe Colares, Cleber M. Oliveira, Ana Maria G. Bernardo & Angelo Pallini

  2. Agriculture and Livestock Research Enterprise of Minas Gerais (EPAMIG), Vila Gianetti 46, Viçosa, MG, 36570-000, Brazil

    Madelaine Venzon

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  1. Henry E. Vacacela Ajila
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  2. João A. M. Ferreira
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  3. Felipe Colares
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Correspondence to Henry E. Vacacela Ajila.

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Vacacela Ajila, H.E., Ferreira, J.A.M., Colares, F. et al. Ricoseius loxocheles (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is not a predator of false spider mite on coffee crops: What does it eat?. Exp Appl Acarol 74, 1–11 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-018-0211-9

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