Effects of Diet on the Biology and Life Tables of the Predacious Mite Agistemus exsertus (Acari: Stigmaeidae)

The biology of Agistemus exsertus Gonzalez was studied using two different insect eggs, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller and Parlatoria zizyphus (Lucas) as the food source. The development was faster and reproduction was higher when A. exsertus fed on eggs of E. kuehniella. A total of 97.78 and 75.27 eggs per female were obtained when eggs of E. kuehniella and P. zizyphus were provided respectively. A diet of E. kuehniella (eggs) provided the greatest female longevity and mean total fecundity which resulted in the higher net reproductive rate (Ro) value (61.25), intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm = 0.196) and finite rate of increase (rm = 1.22) per day for A. exsertus. A diet of P. zizyphus (eggs) resulted in close values of T = 21.70; rm = 0.174; e r m = 1.19. The sex rate of the progeny was strongly female biased (female/total = 0.72 and 0.66) when both eggs of E. kuehniella and P. zizyphus were provided