PHOTOPERIOD AND TEMPERATURE STUDIES TO DETERMINE WHETHER DIAPAUSE IS FOUND IN SUCCESSIVE GENERATIONS OF THE AFRICAN PHYTOSEIID, EUSEIUS-FUSTIS (PRITCHARD AND BAKER) (ACARI, PHYTOSEIIDAE)

Photoperiod and temperature conditions known to induce diapause in tro pical arthropods were tested on two generations (G(0) and G(1)) of the phytoseiid, Enseius fustis. Failure to lay eggs or a pre-oviposition period longer than 15 days were the criteria used to determine whether females were in diapause. Females reared from egg to adult and held t hroughout adult life under cyclic temperatures of 29/20 degrees C in c ombination with long photophases of 16L:8D and 14L:10D showed no indic ation of aestival diapause. Similarly, hibernal diapause was not induc ed in females reared under a constant temperature of 18 degrees C and a photophase of 8L:16D. Under the various test conditions, females ini tiated oviposition within an average of 4 days. Overall, pre-ovipositi on patterns for G(0) and G(1) females were similar under the same test conditions. Reproductive patterns based on the mean number of eggs pe r female per day varied only slightly between generations for the same treatments.