Potential of a new phytoseiid species Neoseiulus setarius (Acari: Phytoseiidae) as a biocontrol agent: Biological and demographic parameters on prey and non-prey foods

Neoseiulus setarius Ma, Meng & Fan is a newly described phytoseiid species found in Inner Mongolia of China. To evaluate the potential of N. setarius as a biocontrol agent, we studied life table parameters of N. setarius reared on four food resources, including western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande, eriophyoid mite Aceria pallida Keifer, cattail pollen Typha latifolia L. and poplar pollen Populus alba L. Neoseiulus setarius fed on two prey species developed faster and produced more eggs than those fed with two kinds of pollen. Neoseiulus setarius had the shortest juvenile development time on A. pallida (5.38 days), and the highest daily fecundity on F. occidentalis (2.43 eggs/female/day). The juvenile development time of N. setarius was similar on cattail pollen and poplar pollen, but the fecundity of N. setarius was significantly higher on cattail pollen. There were significant differences in the demographic parameters of N. setarius reared on the four different diets. The highest intrinsic rate of increase (r(m)) was on F. occidentalis (0.178 day(-1)), followed by A. pallida (0.159 day(-1)), cattail pollen (0.127 day(-1)) and poplar pollen (0.092 day(-1)). Neoseiulus setarius showed higher fitness in development and reproduction on prey (F. occidentalis and A. pallida) and cattail pollen. These results suggest that N. setarius could be a promising biocontrol agent for the management of thrips and gall mites.