Functional and numerical response of Amblyseius largoensis to Aceria litchi
The functional and numerical response of Amblyseius largoensis preying Aceria litchii was studied. Tests were carried out to determine the relationship between the preying capacity of female A.largoensis and the population density of Aceria litchi, between the preying capacity and the population density of A. largoensis, between the egg number of A.largoensis and the population density of Aceria litchi and between the development stages and the preying capacity of A. largoensis. The adults of A. largoensis preyed on Aceria litchi of all life stages. With the growth of prey density within a certain range, the daily preying capacity of the predator increased gradually. The maximum number of the daily preying capacity of A. largoensis adults was 37 heads of adults of A. litchi at the average temperature of 25℃ with the humidity of 80--85%. When the prey density was kept constant, the daily preying capacity of A. largoensis per head declined with its own population density. As the population density of the preys increased, the average daily oviposition capacity of A. larfoensis increased, and the development stage of A. largoensis became shorter.