Initial screening of little known predatory mites in Brazil as potential pest control agents.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the oviposition rate and the survivorship of some of the most common predators on plants of the natural vegetation of southeastern Brazil, when confined with different food sources. Forty-four laboratory tests were carried out, each corresponding to a different combination of predator species and food source. The predators tested were: Phytoseiidae--Amblyseius acalyphus, Euseius citrifolius, Iphiseiodes zuluagai, Metaseiulus (Metaseiulus) camelliae, Typhlodromips cananeiensis; Stigmaeidae--Agistemus floridanus, Zetzellia malvinae; Tydeidae--Pronematus sp. For most predators, the highest oviposition rate and survivorship were obtained when the prey was one of the tenuipalpid mites, Brevipalpus phoenicis or Tenuipalpus heveae. With the exception of A. floridanus, the predators had low oviposition rate and survivorship on Calacarus heveae relative to their respective rate on other food sources. Predators had also generally low oviposition rate and survivorship when feeding on Tetranychus urticae, Oligonychus gossypii or Frankliniella sp.