Life table and cold tolerance of laboratory-reared Penthaleus major (Acari: Penthaleidae)

Abstract Penthaleus major (Dugés) is a significant agricultural pest that attacks various pasture, vegetable, and crop plants. Temperature plays a critical role in the life history of P. major. However, there is limited understanding of its life table at different temperatures and cold tolerance. This study aimed to elucidate the performance of P. major by constructing life tables at 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 °C. The results showed that P. major successfully developed at 9‒21 °C. However, no adults emerged at 6°C, and no eggs hatched at 24 °C. The highest intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), net reproductive rate (R0), and gross reproductive rate (GRR) were observed at 12 °C. The supercooling point (SCP) exhibited significant variations at different developmental stages. The highest SCP (‒9.75 °C) was recorded in 10-day-old female adults, while the lowest SCP (‒24.37 °C) was observed in larvae. For female adult mites of 2, 6, and 10 days old, the low lethal temperatures (LLT50) were ‒14.63, ‒12.03, and ‒11.08 °C, respectively. This study provided valuable insights for modeling and predicting the population dynamics of P. major in the field and offered implications for developing successful management strategies.