Olfactory responses of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis (Acari: Phytoseiidae) to rose leaves: starvation and previous host plant experience

The effect of host plant experience and different hunger periods on the olfactoryresponse of phytoseiulus persimilis was studied on rose leaves under laboratoryconditions. when clean air was considered as the olfactometer fixed arm, p. persimilis showed a significant preference towards odours related to the alternative arms i.e. clean leaves, t. urticae-infested leaves, leaves occupied by frankliniella occidentalis andleaves occupied by conspecifics regardless of starvation time and experience. when wereplaced clean air by clean rose leaves, the naïve predators with 10 hours starvation andthe experienced ones with both 5 and 10 hours starvation showed a significantpreference (towards t. urticae-infested leaves) rather than clean leaves. when thepredators were offered clean leaves vs. leaves occupied by thrips, neither naïve norexperienced p. persimilis with 5 hours starvation made a significant preference betweenthe arms, while the ones kept starved for 10 hours preferred clean air regardless ofexperience. receiving odours related to conspecifics vs. clean rose, the naïve p.persimilis females with 5 hours starvation and the naïve and experience ones keptstarved for 10 hours avoided odours related to conspecifics. the five hour-starvedexperienced predators and the 10 hour-starved naïve and experienced ones movedtowards t. urticae-infested leaves when the alternative arm was consisted of leavesoccupied by thrips. receiving odours related to t. urticae-infested leaves from one armand odours related to leaves occupied by conspecifics, most of the predators movedtowards the former arm regardless of experience and starvation time. when thepredators were offered t. urticae-infested leaves vs. leaves occupied by thrips, asignificant movement towards spider mites was observed both in experienced and naivetreatments kept starved for 10 hours and in five hour-starved experienced ones.irrespective of the starvation time, the predatory mite’s previous experience did nothave a significant effect on the time needed by p. persimilis to pass the lateral arms ofthe olfactometer. both experience and starvation affected the predator’s oviposition rate.