Biological Aspects of the Cunaxid mite, Pulaeus pseudominutus When Fed on Different Diets at Different Temperatures

This study aimed to study the effect of different diets mainly free living nematode, Rhabditella muscicola and two different fungi (Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht and Pythium spinosum Sawada) on the different biological aspects of the cunaxid mite, Pulaeus pseudominutus at 20, 25, 30 and 35+2°C and relative humidity 75+5% R.H. in laboratory. The study indicated that the different biological aspects of P. pseudominutus was significantly affected by feeding on the different used diets at different temperatures. The males of mite individuals lasted lowest times in their development in comparison with those taken for females. The lower temperature 20ºC significantly increased the life periods of individuals in comparison with 35ºC. The lowest period of life cycle (9.17 days) was recorded when the male mites fed on F. oxysporum at 35ºC, while the longest period (25.77 days) was noticed when the female individuals reared on the same previously mentioned before diet at 20ºC. However, longevity period of the cunaxid mite was recorded the highest period when the females fed on P. spinosum at 20ºC (59.75 days) while the lowest longevity period recorded when the males fed on free living nematode but at 35ºC (26.09 days). On the other hand, the fungi P.spinosum increased the life span time for predatory mite females at 20ºC where the time taken was 59.75 days, but the lowest time was recorded when the male individuals fed on the free living nematode at 35ºC (26.09 days). From the obtained results also, it was noticed that the best diet for rearing the cunaxid mite, P. pseudominutus was free living nematode at 25ºC where it recorded the highest number of deposited eggs (73.2) but the least favourable one for feeding was the same food but at 35ºC (47.61.71 eggs).