| Abstract: | A laboratory study revealed that females of the phytoseiid mite, Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot, fed on protonymphs of their own species or of other predatory mites i.e. Agistemus exsertus Gonzales and Euseius scutalis Athias-Henriot exhibited a marked decline in their fecundity and a shortening in their longevity. Moreover, the rate of predation was also reduced. When A. swirskii females were fed on nymphs of the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch after having been fed previously on protonymphs of either A. swirskii or A. exsertus increases in the rates of oviposition and consumption were observed, although these rates were lower than those of conspecific females reared continuously on the two-spotted spider mite only. |
