Stone, C., 1986.
An investigation into the morphology and biology of Tetranychus lintearius Dufour (Acari: Tetranychidae). Experimental and Applied Acarology, 2: 173-186.
Abstract
Some aspects of the morphology, biology of 2 English populations of the colonial stenophagous mite Tetranychus lintearius, a possible biological control agent for gorse (Ulex spp.) in New Zealand, were studied in the laboratory. The morphological characters which distinguish males from those of T. urticae and T. cinnabarinus were the empodium of tarsus II and the shape of the aedeagus. In females, the pattern of the dorsal tegumentary striae between the 3rd and 4th pair of the dorsal opisthosomal setae was very variable, as were the shape, intensity and distribution of the dorsal strial lobes. The tetranychids biology was observed on gorse seedlings or on shoot tips enclosed in acetate sleeves. The average generation time was 17.7 days at 25 deg C, 19.8 days at 23 deg C, 32.2 days at 20 deg C and 45.8 days at 15 deg C. The lifespan of adult females was in the range 10-34 days, depending on temperature. Diapause could not be induced
