Identification of prey consumed by Stethorus punctum picipes (Casey) (Cleoptera: Coccinellidae) in tree fruit and vines in Washington State, USA.

To determine the type of prey consumed by the predatory coccinellid, Stethorus punctum picipes (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), we identified food remains, based on body parts or whole bodies of mites, in the guts of adults collected in two fruit orchards (apple and cherry) and one vineyard in Washington State, United States in August and September 2009. Various plant-inhabiting mites, including species in the families Stigmaeidae, Eriophyidae, Phytoseiidae, and Tetranychidae, were found in guts of S. p. picipes collected on grapevine where no tetranychids were observed. On apple, where tetranychids were abundant, gut contents contained Tetranychidae, Stigmaeidae, and Eriophyidae. On cherry, where tetranychids were abundant, only Tetranychidae were found in gut contents. These results indicate that S. p. picipes adults can feed on alternative plant-inhabiting mites, in particular, when tetranychids are scarce. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]