Dispersal and resistance to starvation in Raoiella indica (Acari: Tenuipalpidae)
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Dispersal and resistance to starvation in Raoiella indica (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) José Ramírez‑López1 · Gabriel Otero‑Colina1 · Edith Guadalupe Estrada‑Venegas2 · Claudia Ballesteros‑Barrera3 · Hermilo Jorge Quero‑Rico4 Received: 11 February 2014 / Accepted: 11 September 2020 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract Raoiella indica Hirst (Tenuipalpidae) is an obligate phytophagous mite that has rapidly colonized wide areas of tropical America and causes severe injuries, mainly to plants in the families Arecaceae, Heliconiaceae, Zingiberaceae and Musaceae. This study evaluates biological attributes of the species that could explain its potential as invasive pest, its capacity to survive when deprived of food and its dispersal mechanisms, including passive displacement by wind and possible phoretic association with insects. This mite has a higher resistance to starvation than other phytophagous mites, with a maximum 12 days for adult females. Its main dispersal is by wind, even at low velocities. Phoresy on insects was not observed. Keywords Exotic pests · Forced starvation · Settling · Hosts · Phoresy · Dispersal
Introduction Mites, like other organisms, are exposed to environmental changes that result in unfavorable conditions such as food scarcity. Their adaptations to environmental changes are governed by their small size and reduced capacities for movement (Krantz 2009). When habitats are relatively long-lasting with predictable changes, such as caducifolious plants, a strategy developed by many mites is diapause, a genetically determined arrest of Hermilo Jorge Quero-Rico—deceased * Gabriel Otero‑Colina [email protected] 1
Colegio de Postgraduados, Postgrado en Fitosanidad, Orientación en Entomología y Acarología, Km 36.5 Carr, México‑Texcoco, C.P. 56230 Montecillo, Estado de México, Mexico
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Colegio de Postgraduados, Km 36.5 Carr, México‑Texcoco, C.P. 56230 Montecillo, Estado de México, Mexico
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Autónoma Metropolitana, Av. San Rafael Atlixco no. 186, C.P. 09340 Col. Vicentina, Iztapalapa D.F, Mexico
4
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Biología, Cto. Zona Deportiva S/N, C.U., Coyoacán, C.P. 04510 Ciudad de México, Mexico
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Vol.:(0123456789)
Experimental and Applied Acarology
development allowing them to survive unfavorable periods (Hoy 2011). Alternatively, for mites living in ephemeral or unpredictable habitats, such as rotten logs or dung, it is common that when resources are exhausted, they leave their habitat and search for a new one. When doing so, they often attach themselves to larger animals with better dispersal capabilities, a phenomenon known as phoresy. Morphological, physiological and behavioral adaptations favor this mode of dispersal, a period where both development and feeding are frequently interrupted (Athias-Binche 1994). Phoresy is not common in mites living on plants where their primary dispersal mechanism is passive transport by wind (Krantz and Lindquist 1979). Wind dispersal is a risky mechanism for travel because mites are exposed to extreme
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