TY - JOUR JF - Acarologia T1 - Effect of food on the biology of Cheletogenes ornatus (C. and F) (Acari: Prostigmata: Cheyletidae) VL - 22 IS - 4 SP - 361 EP - 366 PY - 1981 SN - 0044-586X SN - 2107-7207 PB - Les Amis d'Acarologia AU - Zaher, M.A. AU - Yousef, A.E.T.A. AU - Kandil, M.M. UR - https://www1.montpellier.inrae.fr/CBGP/acarologia/article.php?id=2833 DA - 1982-01-30 KW - Life cycle KW - nymphal KW - stases KW - predation KW - nutrition AB - Cheletogenes ornatus was reared during its life span on eggs and immature stages of two scale insects and two tetranychoid mite species, at 25 ± 0.5°C. Various types of non-prey nourishment were introduced to the newly egg-laying adult females, during ten days. Experiments showed that the predator female had two nymphal stages, while the male passed through one nymphal stage, before reaching adult. Prey eggs, specially those of mites, highly favoured the predator biology. Shorter periods of development prolonged oviposition period and longevity as well as greater number of eggs were obtained with prey eggs, than immatures. The duration of the predator female immature stages changed from 36.7 to 43 .4 days on eggs, and from 49.8 to 47.6 days on immatures of T . urticae and P. oleae, respectively. The male emerged earlier than the female for a period ranging from 7.0 days on eggs of C. pulcher and 13.0 days on immatures of T. urticae. The oviposition period varied from 58.4 to 62.5 days on eggs and from 43.1 to 59.0 days on immatures of T. urticae and C. aonidum respectively. Adult female lived for 94.5 and 71.2 on eggs and immatures of T. urticae, 118.5 and 101.3 days on eggs and immatures of C. aon~dum. The predator larva could afford starvation for 6.8 days, and adults fasted for 10.5 days. The predator attacked number of prey mites greater than scale insects, and laid high number of eggs. The number of consumed prey immatures, nexcept that of T. urticae, were highly exceeding eggs. The predator female immature stages attacked from 68.8 and 94.5 eggs and immatures of C. aonidum, while C. pulcher presented 141.5 and 161.8 eggs and immatures. Adult female consumed 299.3 and 329.7 eggs and immatures of P. oleae, while it killed 519.1 eggs and 517.0 immatures of C. pulcher. The male seemed to be less efficient than the female, as the former fed on about 2/3 that attacked by the latter. During the life span, the female killed 371.4 eggs and 429.3 immatures of P. oleae, while it consumed 660.7 eggs 678.8 immatures of C. pulcher. Prey eggs, specially those of T. urticae, increased the predator egg deposition, than immatures. The predator female deposited from, 47.7 to 53.3 eggs when fed on eggs of C. aonidum and T. urticae, 37.7 to 39.2 eggs on immatures of P. oleae and C. pulcher, respectively. The predator did not feed on the mealybug honeydew, plant sap, pollen grains of date palm and maize. ER -