Abstract
Laboratory experiments were carried out to analyse the effect of the temperture on the development and prey consumption of Scolothrips sp., a predator of the Kanzawa spider mite, Tetranychus Kanzawai KISHIDA. The developmental period of Scolothrips sp. decreased with the increase of the temperture from 12 to 30°C, and the shortest period of development from larvae to adult was 4.7 days at 30°C. The developmental zero points of larva and pupa were 11.7 and 13.3°C, and total effective tempertures were 56.6 and 32.0 degree days, respectively. The influence of the temperature on the prey consumption of adult Scolothrips sp. was examined using leaf disks. The number of adult female mites and eggs consumed by the adult predator increased with the increase of the temperature from 12 to 30°C. On the average, the predator consumed 7.4 adult females or 36.6 eggs per day at 30°C. The adult female of the predator consumed 10.7 mites or 54 eggs per day at 30°C, however the adult male consumed 4.2 mites or 18.5 eggs per day. It is suggested that the predator is unable to consume the prey at a temperature below 10°C.
