Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-12T20:45:37.414Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

‘Phytophagous’ thrips are facultative predators of twospotted spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) on cotton in Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

L. J. Wilson ,
L. R. Bauer  and
G.H. Walter
L. J. Wilson*
Affiliation:
CSIRO Division of Plant Industry, Cotton Research Unit, Narrabri, Australia
L. R. Bauer
Affiliation:
CSIRO Division of Plant Industry, Cotton Research Unit, Narrabri, Australia
G.H. Walter
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology and Co-operative Research Centre for Tropical Pest Management, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
*
L.J. Wilson, CSIRO Cotton Research Unit, Locked Bag 59, Narrabri, New South Wales 2390, Australia.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Predatory feeding on Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) populations on cotton by phytophagous thrips, Thrips imaginis Bagnall, T. tabaci Lindeman and Frankliniella schultzei Trybom (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), was investigated in the field and laboratory. Phytophagous thrips are a common early season pest of cotton in Australia, though their true pest status is undefined. In California, the phytophagous thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)) is regarded as an opportunistic predator of mite eggs, their consumption of which increases fitness over a diet of leaf tissue alone. Thrips are among the most abundant of insects on young cotton. If they consume mite eggs, even at relatively low rates, they could have a significant influence on the probability of survival of early season spider mites. Consumption of eggs of T. urticae by thrips was investigated in the laboratory. Second instar F. schultzei consumed more eggs per day (ca. 4 eggs per day) than did second instar T. tabaci or T. imaginis (ca. l egg per day). Consumption by first instar F. schultzei was much lower than for second instars. Adult T. tabaci consumed ca. l egg per day whilst adults of F. schultzei consumed only ca. 0.5 eggs per day, although some individuals of this species did consume substantial numbers of eggs. Larvae of all thrips species showed a type II functional response to prey density. In the field, adults and larvae of T. tabaci and F. schultzei showed a preference for cotton seedlings that were also infested by spider mites. In a glasshouse, larvae of T. tabaci showed a highly significant preference for feeding within mite colonies. In the field, suppression of predators, predominantly T. tabaci and F. schultzei, with a broad spectrum insecticide (dimethoate) contributed to outbreaks of mites occurring earlier than they would have otherwise. The results show that phytophagous thrips eat mite eggs and that they are potentially important predators of spider mites in the field, especially given their abundance on young cotton and preference for inhabiting situations in which mite colonies are found.

Type
Review Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 86 , Issue 3 , June 1996 , pp. 297 - 305
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bailey, P. & Caon, G. (1986) Predation on twospotted mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acarina: Tetranychidae) by Haplothrips victoriensis Bagnall (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) and Stethorus nigripes Kapur (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on seed lucerne crops in South Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 34, 515–525.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bartlett, B.R. (1968) Outbreaks of two-spotted spider mites and cotton aphids following pesticide treatment. I. Pest stimulation vs. natural enemy destruction as the cause of outbreaks. Journal of Economic Entomology 61, 297–303.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Botha, J.H. & Scholtz, A.J. (1986) The effect of bollworm control with regard to populations of spider mites and their natural enemies on cotton. Phytophylactica 18, 141–150.Google Scholar
Boykin, L.S. & Campbell, W.V. (1982) Rate of population increase of the twospotted spider mite on peanut leaves treated with pesticides. Journal of Economic Entomology 75, 966–971.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Collyer, E. (1953) The biology of some predatory insects and mites associated with the fruit tree red spider mites (Metatetranychus ulmi) in south-eastern England. II Some important predators of mites. Journal of Horticultural Science 28, 85–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, D.W. (1952) Some effects of DDT on spider mites. Journal of Economic Entomology 45, 652–654.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dittrich, V., Streibert, P. & Bathe, P.A. (1974) An old case reopened: mite stimulation by insecticide residues. Environmental Entomology 3, 534–540.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forrester, N.W. & Wilson, A.G.L. (1988) Insect pests of cotton. New South Wales Department of Agriculture Agfact P5.AE.1.Google Scholar
Franklin, E.J. & Knowles, C.O. (1984) Influence of formamidines on twospotted spider mite (Acari: Tetranychidae) dispersal behaviour. Journal of Economic Entomology 77, 318–323.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gerson, U. & Cohen, E. (1989) Resurgences of spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) induced by synthetic pyrethroids. Experimental and Applied Acarology 6, 29–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holling, C.S. (1959) The components of predation as revealed by a study of small mammalian predation of the European sawfly. Canadian Entomologist 91, 293–320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Iftner, D.C. & Hall, F.R. (1983) Effects of fenvalerate and permethrin on Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) dispersal behaviour. Environmental Entomology 12, 1782–1786.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, V.P. (1990) Does pesticide-induced activity of twospotted spider mite (Acari: Tetranychidae) really contribute to population increases in orchids? Journal of Economic Entomology 83, 1847–1852.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Karban, R. (1985) Resistance against spider mites in cotton induced by mechanical abrasion. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 37, 137–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Karban, R. & Carey, J.R. (1984) Induced resistance of cotton seedlings to mites. Science (Washington, DC) 225, 53–54.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kirk, W.D.J. (1987) A key to the larvae of some common Australian flower thrips (Insecta: Thysanoptera), with a host plant survey. Australian Journal of Zoology 35, 173–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leigh, T.F., Maggi, V.L. & Wilson, L.T. (1984) Development and use of a machine for recovery of arthropods from plant leaves. Journal of Economic Entomology 77, 271–276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewis, T. (1973) Thrips, their biology, ecology, and Economic importance. 349 pp. London, Academic Press.Google Scholar
Maggi, V.L. & Leigh, T.F. (1983) Fecundity response of the two spotted spider to cotton treated with methyl parathion or phosphoric acid. Journal of Economic Entomology 76, 20–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKee, M. & Knowles, C.O. (1984) Effects of pyrethroids on respiration in the twospotted spider mite (Acari: Tetranychidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 77, 1376–1380.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mound, L.A. & Walker, A.K. (1982) Terebrantia (Insecta:Thysanoptera). Fauna of New Zealand 1, 1–113.Google Scholar
Nickel, J.L. (1960) Temperature and humidity relationships of Tetranychus desertorum Banks with special reference to distribution. Hilgardia 30, 41–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Passlow, T. (1971) Thrips tabaci Lind. as a seedling problem in Queensland cotton. Queensland Journal of Agriculture and Animal Science 28, 137–151.Google Scholar
Penman, D.R. & Chapman, R.B. (1983) Fenvalerate-induced distributional imbalances of twospotted spider mite on bean plant. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 33, 71–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Penman, D.R. & Chapman, R.B. (1988) Pesticide-induced mite outbreaks: Pyrethroids and spider mites. Experimental and Applied Acarology 4, 265–276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pickett, C.H., Wilson, L.T. & Gonzalez, D. (1988) Population dynamics and within plant distribution of the western flower thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), an early season predator of spider mites infesting cotton. Environmental Entomology 17, 551–559.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Putman, W.L. & Herne, D.H.C. (1966) The role of predators and other biotic agents in regulating the population density of phytophagous mite in Ontario peach orchards. Canadian Entomologist 98, 808–820.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reed, J.T. & Reinecke, J. (1990) Western flower thrips on cotton: Plant damage and mite predation - preliminary observations. pp. 309–310 in Proceedings of the 1990 Beltwide Cotton Production Research Conference.Google Scholar
Roberts, B.A., Dunlap, R.L., Weir, B.L. & Vargas, R. (1990) Early-season pest management in the San Joaquin valley, California. A five year review, pp. 181–182in Proceedings of the Beltwide Cotton Production Research Conference.Google Scholar
Rude, P.A. & Clark, J.K. (1984) Integrated pest management for cotton in the western region of the United States. 144. pp. Davis, California, University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 3305.Google Scholar
Shaw, A.J. (1990) Cotton pesticides guide. NSW Agriculture Agdex 151/680.Google Scholar
Snedecor, G.W. & Cochran, W.G. (1982) Statistical methods, 7th edn.507 pp. Ames, Iowa State University Press.Google Scholar
Trichilo, P.J. & Leigh, T.F. (1986) Predation on spider mite eggs by the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), an opportunist in a cotton agroecosystem. Environmental Entomology 15, 821–825.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trichilo, P.J. & Leigh, T.F. (1988) Influence of resource quality on the reproductive fitness of flower thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 81, 64–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trichilo, P.J. & Wilson, L.T. (1993) An ecosystem analysis of spider mite outbreaks: physiological stimulation or natural enemy suppression. Experimental and Applied Acarology 17, 291–314.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilkinson, L., Hill, M. & Vany, E. (1992) SYSTAT: statistics, version 5.2 edn.Evanston, Illinois, Systat.Google Scholar
Wilson, L.J. (1992) Pest status and ecology of the two-spotted spider mite on cotton in Australia and implications for management. PhD thesis, University of Queensland, Brisbane. 261 pp.Google Scholar
Wilson, L.J. (1993a) Spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) affect yield and fiber quality of cotton. Journal of Economic Entomology 86, 566–585.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, L.J. (1993b) Impact of early season sprays on mites. Australian Cottongrower 14(6), 26–28.Google Scholar
Wilson, L.J. (1994) Resistance of okra-leaf cotton genotypes to twospotted spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 87, 1726–1735.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, L.J. (1995) Habitats of twospotted spider mites (Tetranychidae: Acari) during winter and spring in a cotton producing region of Australia. Environmental Entomology 24, 332–340.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, L.J. & Bauer, L.R. (1993) Species composition and seasonal abundance of thrips (Thysanoptera) on cotton in the Namoi Valley. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 32, 187–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, L.J. & Morton, R. (1993) Seasonal abundance and distribution of Tetranychus urticae, the two spotted spider mite (Acari: Tetranychidae), on cotton in Australia and implications for management. Bulletin of Entomological Research 83, 291–303.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, L.J., Sadras, V.O. & Bauer, L.R. (1994) Thrips and cotton: the results so far. Australian Cottongrower 15(5), 25–29.Google Scholar
Wilson, L.T., Trichilo, P.J. & Gonzalez, D. (1991) Natural enemies of spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) on cotton: density regulation or casual association. Environmental Entomology 20, 849–856.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wrensch, D.L. & Young, S.S.Y. (1978) Effects of density and host quality on rate of development, survivorship, and sex ratio in the carmine spider mite. Environmental Entomology 7, 499–501.CrossRefGoogle Scholar