''Typhlodromips swirskii'', the Swirski mite (synonymy: ''Amblyseius swirskii'', ''Amblyseius rykei'', ''Neoseiulus swirskii''), is a species of predatory mite in the family

Phytoseiidae The Phytoseiidae are a family of mites which feed on thrips and other mite species. They are often used as a biological control agent for managing mite pests. Because of their usefulness as biological control agents, interest in Phytoseiidae has ...

. It is used in

biological pest control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or ot ...

western flower thrips The western flower thrips 'Frankliniella occidentalis'' (Pergande)is an invasive pest insect in agriculture. This species of thrips is native to the Southwestern United States but has spread to other continents, including Europe, Australia (wher ...

(''Frankliniella occidentalis'') in greenhouse- or indoor-grown crops. It was named for the Israeli entomologist Eliahu Swirski (1921-2002).

Description

The adult ''T. swirskii'' has a pear-shaped body and is about in length. It has four pairs of legs, the front pair of which points forward, and a small number of paired bristles on the unsegmented body. The colour varies with the diet, being pale yellow or tan when

thrips Thrips (Order (biology) , order Thysanoptera) are minute (mostly long or less), slender insects with fringed wings and unique asymmetrical mouthparts. Entomologists have species description , described approximately 7,700 species. They fly on ...

and

whitefly Whiteflies are Hemipterans that typically feed on the undersides of plant leaves. They comprise the family Aleyrodidae, the only family in the superfamily Aleyrodoidea. More than 1550 species have been described. Description and taxonomy The A ...

are eaten, and reddish on some other diets. It is difficult to distinguish one species of predatory mite from another in the field.

Distribution and habitat

''T. swirskii'' is native to the eastern Mediterranean region where its range includes Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Israel and Egypt. It is used as an agent of

biological control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or o ...

on crops such as apple, apricot, citrus, cotton and vegetables. It has been introduced to other parts of the world, where the climate is suitable, including much of Europe, northern Africa, North America, Argentina, China and Japan.

Biology

The life cycle consists of the egg stage, one larval stage, two nymphal stages and an adult stage. The eggs are laid on the undersides of leaves, usually on hairs near the junction of veins. They are oval, whitish and about long. They hatch into whitish, non-feeding, semi-transparent larvae with three pairs of legs. These soon develop into the four-legged nymphal stages, and then become adults, both nymphs and adults being

predatory Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...

. The life cycle takes about five days at , and the mites can tolerate temperatures between , with 60 percent humidity.

Host range

The host range includes the immature stages of

, common blossom thrips, onion thrips, melon thrips and chilli thrips, as well as those of

silverleaf whitefly The silverleaf whitefly (''Bemisia tabaci'', also informally referred to as the sweet potato whitefly) is one of several species of whitefly that are currently important agricultural pests. A review in 2011 concluded that the silverleaf whitefly ...

and

greenhouse whitefly ''Trialeurodes vaporariorum'', commonly known as the glasshouse whitefly or greenhouse whitefly, is an insect that inhabits the world's temperate regions. Like various other whiteflies, it is a primary insect pest of many fruit, vegetable and or ...

. It can also consume Asian citrus psyllid, broad mites, and other herbivorous mites. When these prey species are not available, it is able to survive and reproduce on a diet of

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced Gametophyte#Heterospory, microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm ...

and plant exudates, although its fecundity and growth rates are reduced under these circumstances. Where two prey species are available, it will prey on the most available one. For example, in a 2016 research project on field grown cucumber plants, it was successful in controlling melon thrips on the leaves, but not common blossom thrips on the flowers of the same plants.

Use in biocontrol

''Typhlodromips swirskii'' is used commercially in Europe and North America for biocontrol of whitefly and thrips in vegetables and ornamentals grown under cover. The cultured mites can be mixed with bran and sprinkled on the crop or spread by air blast. When multiple species of pest are present, it may effectively control one but not another; for example, in field grown cucumbers, it was found to control melon thrips on leaves, but failed to control common blossom thrips on flowers.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q30686888 Phytoseiidae Animals described in 1962 Biological pest control agents Arthropods of the Middle East Arachnids of Israel Arachnids of Turkey