Incidence And Developmental Parameters Of Brevipalpus Phoenicis Geijskes (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) On An Invasive Plant, Mikania Micrantha Kunth

Research Article
Saritha C and Ramani N
DOI: 
http://dx.doi.org/10.24327/ijrsr.2018.0906.2262
Subject: 
science
KeyWords: 
Mikania micrantha, Brevipalpus phoenicis, Invasion
Abstract: 

The plant Mikania micrantha is treated as one among 100 of the world’s worst invaders in the Global Invasive Species Database. Invasions by alien plants are rapidly increasing in extent and severity, leading to large-scale ecosystem degradation. The tenuipalpid mite, Brevipalpus phoenicis is a cosmopolitan species with an extensive host range and was found to infest M. micrantha with peak population during the summer months of April-May and the minimum population during June[1]July. Laboratory cultures of the mite were maintained by adopting leaf flotation technique at constant temperature humidity conditions of 30 ± 20 C and 65 ± 5% RH. The species was found to exhibit parthenogenetic mode of reproduction with the pre-oviposition and oviposition periods of 4.2±0.37 and 8.9±0.28 days respectively. Thus the results of the present study disclosed that the mean duration of F1 generation of B. phoenicis on M. micrantha was 41.5±1.07 days.