Fast Population Growth in Physogastry Reproduction of Luciaphorus perniciosus (Acari: Pygmephoridae) at Different Temperatures.

Luciaphorus perniciosus Rack is one of the most serious pests of several cultivated mushroom species including Ganoderma lucidum (Fr.), Flammulina velutipes Karst., Auricularia polytricha (Mont.) Saac., Lentinus polychrous Lev., and Lentinus squarrosulus (Mont.) Singer in Thailand. Adult female Lu. perniciosus produce offspring inside their physogastric hysterosomas, with all embryos developing through to the adult stage while remaining in the abdomen. Once the abdomen ruptures, the female parent dies and the offspring consisting of mostly fertilized female adults along with a few male adults continue to emerge from the cadaver of the mother for a period of several days. This peculiar type of reproduction after the death of the mother is a special case for life table analysis and has not been discussed previously in demographic analyses. In this study, the life table data of this mite fed on Le. squarrosulus were collected at 25, 30, and 35 °C and analyzed by using the age-stage, two-sex life table. The standard errors of population parameters were estimated by using the bootstrap technique (200,000 bootstraps). At 25, 30, and 35 °C, females started reproduction at ages 9, 5, and 3 d, respectively; the net reproductive rates (R0) were 192.27, 253.81, and 234.11 offspring. Due to their rapid development and high fecundity, the r values were as high as 0.4189, 0.8653, and 1.0892 d-1 at 25, 30, and 35 °C, respectively. Computer projection indicated that the mushroom mites Lu. perniciosus is capable of a threefold daily increase at 35 °C.