Abstract
The webbing life type of three spider mite species of the genus Oligonychus was studied based on web-associated behavioral characteristics. All tested Oligonychus species—viz., avocado brown mite, Oligonychus punicae (Hirst), date palm mite, Oligonychus afrasiaticus (McGregor), and banks grass mite, Oligonychus pratensis (Banks)—exhibited a complicated-web (CW) life type on various host plants. A new life type, ‘CW-c,’ was documented for O. punicae on the adaxial leaf side of Conocarpus erectus L. (Combretaceae). The weaving pattern with guy ropes is spun by the O. punicae female and is associated with stalked eggs; it appeared as a unique character in the CW-life type. Oligonychus afrasiaticus, also showed a new life type, ‘CW-d,’ when reared on the abaxial side of leaves of four host plants, viz., desert fan palm, maize, sorghum, and sugarcane. Oligonychus afrasiaticus showed a site for quiescence and a site for oviposition as variables, whereas the site for defecation (SD) was a persistent characteristic on all four tested host plants. Oligonychus pratensis showed the characteristics of the sub-type ‘CW-u’ on the abaxial leaf side of Washingtonia filifera (Lindl.) H. Wendl. (Arecaceae). The SD was a distinguishing behavioral characteristic used to separate O. afrasiaticus from O. pratensis when inhabiting the same host plant, W. filifera.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at the King Saud University for funding this research through Research group no. RG 1437-043. The authors would also like to thank the Deanship of Scientific Research and RSSU at King Saud University for their technical support.
Funding
This research is funded by Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University, Riyadh. Dr. Fahad Jaber Alatawi received the funding through research project [RG-1437-043]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
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Mushtaq, H.M.S., Kamran, M. & Alatawi, F.J. Two new life types and assessment of web-associated behavioral characteristics of some Oligonychus species on various host plants. Exp Appl Acarol 83, 211–227 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-020-00579-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-020-00579-y