The predacious ascid mite, Proctolaelaps pygmaeus (Muller) was reared on
motile stages of the eriophyid grass mite, Aceria dioscoridis (Soliman and Abou-
Awad) and the root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita Chitwood egg-masses.
The rate of development was faster when the predator fed on A. dioscoridis than the
root-knot nematode. The results indicated that the eriophyld grass mite A. dioscoridis
was the most favorable prey for the predator egg production; the average number was
3.41 eggs/female/day. In contrast the root-knot nematode M. incognita gave the
lowest reproduction rate 0.53 eggs/female/day. Data showed that no significant
difference in the developmental time at relative humidity ranged between 30 and 90%,
while 60% R.H. increased both food consumptionlfemale/10 days (88.89 prey/day)
and the female fecundity (1.98 eggslfemale/day) when the ascid mite, P. pygmaeus
fed on A. dioscoridis.