TY  - JOUR
JF  - Acarologia
T1  - Life cycle of the mite Podocinum sagax (Mesostigmata: Podocinidae) on two distinct prey: the free-living nematode Rhabditella axei (Rhabditidae) and the mite Thyreophagus cracentiseta (Astigmata: Acaridae)
VL  - 66
IS  - 3
SP  - 790
EP  - 799
PY  - 2026
SN  - 0044-586X
SN  - 2107-7207
PB  - Les Amis d'Acarologia
AU  - González-Cano, Lina Marcela
AU  - Godoy, Lucas Lorena
AU  - Santos, Jandir Cruz
AU  - de Moraes, Gilberto José
AU  - Castilho, Raphael de Campos
UR  - https://doi.org/10.24349/vt72-pyyz
DO  - 10.24349/vt72-pyyz
DA  - 2026-09-09
ET  - 2026-09-09
KW  - predatory mites
KW  - soil mites
KW  - developmental time
KW  - Phytoseioidea
AB  - This study aimed to evaluate the life cycle of Podocinum sagax (Berlese) (Mesostigmata: Podocinidae) preying upon the free-living nematode Rhabditella axei (Cobbold), or the mite Thyreophagus cracentiseta Barbosa, OConnor & Moraes, at 25 ± 2 °C, 95 ± 5% RH, and in the dark. The total immature development (egg-adult) of P. sagax was completed in approximately eight days on either of the respective prey, with high survivorship rates (≥ 74%). The larvae did not feed and lacked an evident anal opening, suggesting that this loss or reduction is developmentally associated with aphagy and the extremely brief larval phase (approximately 0.4–0.6 days). The adult longevity of P. sagax ranged from 14.9–16.2 for males and 18.4–23.2 for females. Daily oviposition rate (0.8–1.1 egg/female/day) and intrinsic rate of increase (0.163–0.228 female/female/day) of P. sagax were about the same on both prey, with no significant difference observed. Given the limited knowledge of the behavioral and ecological aspects of Podocinidae, this study provides a valuable contribution to understanding the family’s biology. It has important implications for further research on related environmental topics for the species P. sagax.
ER -