ABUNDANCE AND DIVERSITY OF MITES ( ACARI ) ASSOCIATED WITH THE RED PALM WEEVIL, RHYNCHOPHORUS FERRUGINEUS (OLIVER) IN ISMAILIA GOVERNORATE, EGYPT

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Plant Protection Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.

2 Plant Protection Research Institute. ARC, Dokki, Giza. Egypt.

Abstract

he red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier)
(RPW) is an economically important pest of palm trees in
Egypt especially in Ismailia Governorate. Very few studies
have been conducted on mites as natural enemies of red palm
weevil. The predaceous and parasitic mites play an important role
as biological agents of RPW. The survey of mites with different
stages of RPW in Ismailia revealed 1197, 673 and 162 individuals
with 120 empty cocoons, 53 larvae and 75 adults of RPW,
respectively. A total of eleven mite species belong to 9 families and
4 suborders were found associated with the red palm weevil, R.
ferrugineus. Family Uropodidae was the most abundant followed
by Acaridae. Most of mite species that recorded in this study are
parasitic on adults and larvae of RPW. The prevalence of T.
putrescentia was (17.33 %), (56.60 %) and (25.83 %) with adult,
larvae and empty cocoons, respectively.

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