Abstract Citrus leprosis is a serious viral disease of citrus transmitted by Brevipalpus mites. The disease is present in South America, Central America, and Mexico, but not in the United States. One of its primary vectors, however, is present in Florida and other southern states. Non-viruliferous Brevipalpus yothersi (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) are present in Florida and could facilitate the spread of the disease if citrus leprosis viruses (CiLVs) are introduced into the state. In preparation for the possible incursion of CiLVs, we evaluated the biological control potential of four predatory mite species (Neoseiulus longispinosus, N. californicus, Amblyseius largoensis; Acari: Phytoseiidae) and Hemicheyletia bakeri (Acari: Cheyletidae) that are naturally associated with Brevipalpus spp. in citrus. In laboratory no-choice assays, the phytoseiid mites preyed mostly upon immature stages of B. yothersi, while H. bakeri preyed mainly on adults. In dual choice assays, all predators preferred Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) over B. yothersi, but A. largoensis consumed more B. yothersi than the other three predators. A greenhouse experiment was performed to evaluate the potential of A. largoensis and H. bakeri to suppress B. yothersi populations on citrus trees. Four predator release treatments consisting of single or combined releases of A. largoensis and H. bakeri at a 1:10 (predator: B. yothersi) ratio were tested. Releases of A. largoensis alone or in combination with H. bakeri effectively suppressed B. yothersi and reduced damage to citrus plants. Release of H. bakeri alone, however, had no suppressive effect on B. yothersi populations. Overall, our results show that A. largoensis could be an efficient biological control agent of B. yothersi and could play an important role in citrus IPM programs tailored to manage citrus leprosis.

中文翻译：

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捕食性螨对 Brevipalpus yothersi（Acari：Tenuipalpidae）生物控制的潜力

摘要 柑橘麻风是一种由短须螨传播的柑橘类严重病毒病。该病存在于南美洲、中美洲和墨西哥，但不存在于美国。然而，它的主要媒介之一存在于佛罗里达州和其他南部各州。佛罗里达州存在无病毒的 Brevipalpus yothersi（Acari：Tenuipalpidae），如果将柑橘麻风病毒 (CiLV) 引入该州，可能会促进疾病的传播。为了准备可能入侵 CiLV，我们评估了四种捕食性螨类（Neoseiulus longispinosus、N. californicus、Amblyseius largoensis；Acari：Phytoseiidae）和 Hemicheyletia bakeri（Acari：Cheyletidae）的生物控制潜力，这些螨类与 Brevipalpus ss 自然相关. 在柑橘。在实验室无选择试验中，phytoseiid 螨主要捕食 B. yothersi 的未成熟阶段，而 H. bakeri 主要捕食成虫。在双重选择试验中，所有捕食者都更喜欢叶螨（Acari：Tetranychidae）而不是 B. yothersi，但 A. largoensis 比其他三种捕食者消耗更多的 B. yothersi。进行了一项温室实验以评估 A. largoensis 和 H. bakeri 抑制柑橘树上 B. yothersi 种群的潜力。测试了四种捕食者释放处理，包括以 1:10（捕食者：B. yothersi）的比例单独或组合释放 A. largoensis 和 H. bakeri。单独释放 A. largoensis 或与 H. bakeri 组合有效抑制 B. yothersi 并减少对柑橘植物的损害。然而，单独释放 H. bakeri 对 B. yothersi 种群没有抑制作用。全面的，