Proper hunger increased the lethal efficiency of the ectoparasitic mite Pyemotes zhonghuajia

Abstract

Starvation is defined as a failure to ingest and digest food under some extrinsic limitation. Starvation could induce the behavioral consequences, such as searching, movement, parasitism efficiency of arthropods. In this study, we try to evaluate the hunger tolerance and movement rates of P. zhonghuajia on corn and sorghum, and observed the time of P. zhonghuajia biting S. frugiperda and the lethal efficiency of P. zhonghuajia on S. frugiperda under different starvation periods (6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 96 h). The results showed that without host the survival rates of P. zhonghuajia was significantly reduced over the 96 h. Starvation significantly increased the movement rates of P. zhonghuajia with increasing starvation from 6 to 24 h on the sorghum and corn leaves. When starved for 12 h, starvation significantly decreased the time P. zhonghuajia spent biting S. frugiperda. Proper hunger in P. zhonghuajia caused a 100% mortality rate in S. frugiperda within 2 hours, while a 96-h starved P. zhonghuajia parasited S. frugiperda for 16 hours to achieve a 100% mortality rate. In conclusion, a shorter period of starvation (24 h) could improve the movement rates and lethal efficiency of P. zhonghuajia against S. frugiperda, and ultimately enhance the biological control of P. zhonghuajia.