Oligonychus ilicis (McGregor) (Acari) (Tetranychidae) is one of the most important pests of Coffea canephora Pierre & Froehner. In this study, the effect of different temperatures in the development of red mite in C. canephora leaves was evaluated. Eighty adult females were placed in 40 cages to oviposition containing 4 cm leaf discs at 21, 24, 27, 30 and 33 ºC. To evaluated embrionary development two randomly selected eggs were allowed to complete development. After larvae hatch, evaluations were performed each 12 hours to determine the survival and larval period. To evaluate longevity one male was transferred to a cage with one female to mate. The thermal threshold of development and thermic constant were determined to egg adult period of development. The development period of immature stages of O. ilicis decreased as soon as the temperature increased. The stages of egg, larvae, protochrysalidae, protonymph, deutochrysalidae, deutonymph and teleiochrysalidae ranged from 10.4 to 4.3, 2.4 to 1.2, 2.0 to 1.0, 2.3 to 1.2, 1.9 to 1.0, 3.0 to 1.5 and 2.3 to 1.0 days, respectivelly. The temperature increase affected the period of egg adult development and adult longevity The thermal threshold of development was 9.0 ºC to egg-adult period and thermal constant was 256.4 GD. At laboratory conditions, temperatures between 24 and 30 ºC favours the mite development in C. canephora. The thermal threshold of development does not constrain the O. ilicis occurrence with C. canephora under field conditions in the State of Espirito Santo, Brazil.
Acari; Tetranychidae; thermal requirements; thermal constant; coffee plant; Conillon
