Species composition and seasonal changes of spider mite density on a leguminous plant Pueraria lobata

Populations of spider mites were sampled from kudzu vine Pueraria lobata (Willd.) from 1997 to 1999 at two study sites in Ibaraki, central Japan. Of the five spider mite species sampled, Tetranychus pueraricola Ehara and Gotoh was the most abundant (accounting for 75.6-96.9% of mites) in each of the three years. The next most abundant species were T. ludeni Zacher (0.8-19.0%), T. parakanzawai Ehara (1.1-9.7%) and T. piercei McGregor (3.1%), but their density and species richness varied from year to year and from site to site. The populations peaked in June and/or September-October. Predators associated with spider mite populations were phytoseiid mites such as Amblyseius tsugawai Ehara, Phytoseius nipponicus Ehara and Neoseiulus womersleyi (Schicha), Scolothrips takahashii Priesner, Oligota spp., Feltiella spp. and stigmaeid mites such as Agistemus exsertus Gonzalez and A. terminalis (Quayle), which were well synchronized with spider mite density. Overwintered females began to appear and oviposit on some herbaceous weeds growing at the study sites in early April. Spider mites appeared on kudzu vine leaves in early May just after flushing. Most colonies (defined as areas surrounded with silky spider mite threads) had only one species but a small percentage had two or three species.