Agistemus floridanus (Stigmaeidae) as a natural enemy of Panonychus ulmi (Tetranychidae) in vineyards of the Brazilian Southern Region

The aim of this study was to investigate the biology and life table parameters of the predatory mite Agistemus floridanus Gonzalez (Stigmaeidae) feeding on Panonychus ulmi (Koch) (Tetranychidae). The experiment was initiated with 34 eggs of A. floridanus isolated in experimental units and maintained in a controlled environment at 25 ± 1 °C, 12 L:12D, and 80 ± 5% relative humidity. The development time of females was 11.7 ± 1.0 days and the immature phase of males 11.2 ± 1.0 days. Adult longevity of females was 17.1 ± 5.3 days, with mean production of 29.2 ± 17.4 eggs/female. Life table parameters obtained were: net reproduction rate ( Ro ) 19.8; mean generation time ( T ) 19.1 days; intrinsic rate of increase ( r m ) 0.2 female per female per day; finite rate of increase ( λ ) 1.2 female/female, and population doubling time ( DT ) 4.4 days. Agistemus floridanus demonstrated survival and reproduction capacity when feeding exclusively on P. ulmi .