Life Table Parameters of Tetranychus merganser Boudreaux (Acari: Tetranychidae) on Five Host Plants.

The quality of the host plant affects the life history parameters of tetranychid mites. The biology and fertility life tables of on five host plants (, , var. , , and ) were assessed under laboratory conditions at 28 ± 1 °C and 70-80% relative humidity (RH) with a photoperiod of 12:12 h (L:D). The development period of immature females differed among the tested host plants and ranged from 9.32 days on to 11.34 days on . For immature males, it ranged from 9.25 days on to 11.50 days on . The female survival rate varied from 53.97% on to 94.74% on . The highest total fecundity rate was recorded on (125.40 eggs/female) and the lowest on (43.92 eggs/female). The intrinsic rate of increase (rm) varied from 0.271 () to 0.391 (). The net reproductive rate (R) was higher on than on the other host plants. The longest mean generation time (GT) was calculated on var. and the shortest on . The demographic parameters suggest the unsuitability of as the host for the development of red spider mites, and the best performance of was on .