Biological models of two acarine predators of the grain mite, Acarus siro L.

Abstract

A biological model of predation was developed using granular food held in closely packed screen trays to propagate the grain mite, Acarus Siro L., and two of its predators, Blattisocius dentriticus (Berl.) and Cheyletus eruditus (Schrank). Both predators limited prey abundance. Cannibalism among predators, particularly C. eruditus, was an important factor in ensuring the survival of the prey and predator populations. Cheyletus eruditus eliminated B. dentriticus when the two species were propagated in the same experimental universe. Cyclicity and dispersion of the interacting species appeared to result more from the initial age structure and from dispersion of the prey than from predator attack. A population model was used to assess the relative importance of the population components of A. siro and C. eruditus in the simplified predator–prey interactions.