RESEARCH ARTICLE Prey Preference and Life Table of Amblyseius orientalis on Bemisia tabaci and Tetranychus

Amblyseius orientalis (Ehara) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is a native predatory mite species in China. It used to be considered as a specialist predator of spider mites. However, recent studies show it also preys on other small arthropod pests, such as Bemisia tabaci (Genna-dius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Experiments were conducted to investigate (1) prey prefer-ence of A. orientalis between Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisd.) (Acari: Tetranychidae) and B. tabaci, and (2) development, consumption and life table parameters of A. orientalis when reared on T. cinnabarinus, B. tabaci or a mix of both prey species. When preying on different stages of T. cinnabarinus, A. orientalis preferred protonymphs, whereas when preying on different stages of B. tabaci, A. orientalis preferred eggs. When these two most preferred stages were provided together (T. cinnabarinus protonymphs and B. tabaci eggs), A. orien-talis randomly selected its prey. Amblyseius orientalis was able to complete its life cycle on B. tabaci eggs, T. cinnabarinus protonymphs, or a mix of both prey. However, its develop-mental duration was 53.9 % and 30.0 % longer when reared on B. tabaci eggs than on T. cin-nabarinus and a mix of both prey, respectively. In addition, it produced only a few eggs an