Effect of Different Host Plants on Life Type Characteristics of Three Spider Mite Pests (Acari: Prostigmata: Tetranychidae)

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Some spider mite species are economically important agricultural pests, attacking both annual and perennial host plants. They usually produce silken threads of varying densities on the surface of the leaves of inhabiting plants to perform various biological/behavioral activities. In the present study, field-collected leaf samples and laboratory-infested leaves were used to evaluate the effect of different plants on the web-associated behavioral characteristics (life type) of three spider mite species, namely, Tetranychus urticae, Eutetranychus orientalis, and Eutetranychus palmatus. Both annual and perennial plants for T. urticae and only perennial plants for E. orientalis and E. palmatus were used. Two spider mites, E. orientalis and E. palmatus, showed persistence in life type characteristics on different plant species. In contrast, some behavioral characteristics of T. urticae varied by changing the host plants. Although T. urticae showed variations in some behavioral characteristics, it did not change its life type, which shows its high adaptability to utilizing the host plant resources. The variations observed in the life type characteristics of T. urticae could be helpful in applied pest management. ABSTRACT: The present study evaluated the host plant effect on life type characteristics of three important spider mite pest species, Tetranychus urticae Koch, Eutetranychus orientalis (Klein), and E. palmatus Attiah (Acari: Prostigmata: Tetranychidae), based on both field and laboratory observations. The polyphagous species, T. urticae with complicated web (CW-u) life type, occupying unstable habitats, showed variations in the sites for quiescence (SQ), sites for oviposition (SO), sites for defecation (SD), and webbing density (WD) on different annual/perennial host plants. The SQ, SO, and SD of T. urticae were observed either on the leaf, web threads, or trichomes. Tetranychus urticae constructed the lowest WD on tomato plants and the highest WD on maize/mulberry plants. Two spider mite species of the genus Eutetranychus Banks, the polyphagous E. orientalis and the oligophagous E. palmatus, inhabit stable host plants, depicted in the little web (LW-j) life types with persistency in all characteristics on different plants. It is concluded that polyphagous spider mites have restricted their life types, showing their high adaptability to utilize the resources of different host plants for survival with slight variation in some important life type characteristics.