Sidumo, A., Langa, S., Manjate, J., Mulima, E., Dava, L., Cossa, S., 2007.
Biodiversity of spider mites ( Tetranychus spp.), their natural enemies in Mozambique. African Crop Science Conference Proceedings Vol. 8: 1087-1089.
Abstract
African Crop Science Society Conference, El-Minia, Egypt, 27-31 October 2007. Spider mites are among the most important tomato pests, were a number of species can be found. To study the complex of spider mites species, their natural enemies, host plants, twenty tomato fields and four areas of one square meter around them were sampled for collecting spider mites, their natural enemies and alternative host in the districts of Moamba (Maputo), Chokwe (Gaza), Angonia and Mutarara (Tete), Gurue and Nicoadala (Zambezia), Cuamba, Mecanhelas, Mandimba and Lichinga (Niassa). Collected mites were mounted in microscopic slides using Hoyer medium, and identified at the Entomology Laboratory - Faculty of Agronomy and Forestry Engineering - Eduardo Mondlane University, using morphological characteristics, identification keys and guiding collections provided by the Department of Plant Protection in South Africa. The following parameters were calculated for biodiversity studies: relative abundance and Constance. Collected species were identified as Tetranychus evansi, T. urticae, T. ludeni, Polyphagotarsonemus lotus. Some individuals belonged to Tenuipalpidae family were collected from Sida alba in Gurue. A specie belonging to Mesostigmata order was also found on Solanum panduriformis. T. evansi was the most abundant species in all sampled districts. The most frequent genera of spider mites alternative hosts found were Cucurbita, Datura, Sida, Solanum and Vigna.
