Life Table Parameters of Tetranychus merganser Boudreaux (Acari: Tetranychidae) on Five Host Plants

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In Mexico, the red spider mite, Tetranychus merganser, is one of the most economically important pest mites in papaya crops, causing damage to the fruits and leaves. This research aimed to assess the effect of five host plants (Carica papaya L. (papaya), Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum (Dunal) Heiser and Pickersgill (chili piquin), Helietta parvifolia (Gray) Benth. (barreta), Phaseolus vulgaris L. (bean), and Rosa hybrida L. (rosebush)) on the biology and life table parameters of T. merganser. We hypothesized that T. merganser has a better biological performance on papaya than on other host plants. The results of this research can be used to develop management and control strategies for T. merganser. The mean immature period of red spider mite females was longer on barreta leaf disks than on chili piquin, rosebush, papaya, and bean. The oviposition of T. merganser was greater on bean disks than on the other host plants. Host plants affect the number of eggs laid by the red spider mites, which reduce their intrinsic rate of natural increase. The demographic parameters suggest the unsuitability of barreta as the host for the development of red spider mites, and the best performance of T. merganser was on P. vulgaris. ABSTRACT: The quality of the host plant affects the life history parameters of tetranychid mites. The biology and fertility life tables of Tetranychus merganser on five host plants (Carica papaya, Phaseolus vulgaris, Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum, Helietta parvifolia, and Rosa hybrida) were assessed under laboratory conditions at 28 ± 1 °C and 70–80% relative humidity (RH) with a photoperiod of 12:12 h (L:D). The development period of immature females differed among the tested host plants and ranged from 9.32 days on P. vulgaris to 11.34 days on H. parvifolia. For immature males, it ranged from 9.25 days on P. vulgaris to 11.50 days on H. parvifolia. The female survival rate varied from 53.97% on H. parvifolia to 94.74% on P. vulgaris. The highest total fecundity rate was recorded on P. vulgaris (125.40 eggs/female) and the lowest on H. parvifolia (43.92 eggs/female). The intrinsic rate of increase (rm) varied from 0.271 (H. parvifolia) to 0.391 (P. vulgaris). The net reproductive rate (R(O)) was higher on P. vulgaris than on the other host plants. The longest mean generation time (GT) was calculated on C. annuum var. glabriusculum and the shortest on Rosa hybrida. The demographic parameters suggest the unsuitability of H. parvifolia as the host for the development of red spider mites, and the best performance of T. merganser was on P. vulgaris.