Life-History Studies of Amblyseius limonicus, with Comparative Observations on Amblyseius hibisci (Acarina: Phytoseiidae)1

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Abstract
Amblyseius limonicus Garman and McGregor fed readily on both adults and immatures of the spider mites Panonychus citri (McGregor), Oligonychus punicae (Hirst), and Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval) on excised avocado leaves, but became entangled in the webbing and died when introduced to a dense colony of the latter species on excised castor bean leaves. The citrus rust mite, Phyllocoptruta oleivora (Ashmead), was fed on but was not a satisfactory food for development or oviposition. Several kinds of pollens were readily fed on. At 72°F, a generation was completed in 8–9 days and females laid about 2 eggs per day on a diet of either citrus red mites (P. citri) or Mesembryanthemum pollen. At 80° F, an average of 2.7 eggs per female per day was laid. Citrus nectar and mealybug honeydew induced a limited amount of reproduction and greatly increased survival of adult females. A. limonicus had a greater capacity for consuming mite prey and a higher rate of reproduction when feeding on mites than A. hibisci (Chant). Eggs of A. limonicus required a higher humidity for hatching than those of A. hibisci.

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