A survey of development time, longevity, and lifespan in Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata)

Abstract

Phytoseiidae is the most common and widespread mite family inhabiting plants all over the world. This review investigated the development time, longevity, and lifespan of the species in Phytoseiidae based on literature published from 1968 to 2022. We found 132 references including 571 datasets in 57 species of 12 genera, with a focus on sex-specific patterns. The majority of life history studies on phytoseiid mites were observed in recent three decades (116 references and 534 datasets) in the laboratory. The genus Neoseiulus had the highest number of data, followed by Amblyseius with 128 datasets. Neoseiulus californicus was the most studied, with 107 datasets collected from 23 references, and it was followed by Amblyseius swirskii, with 89 datasets also recorded from 20 references. Life history studies on phytoseiids appear to be much more on development time (380 datasets) and longevity (379 datasets) than lifespan (159 datasets). Only 114 datasets included data of all three parameters. For most species, the development time, longevity, or lifespan of females were similar to or longer than those of males.