Effect of temperature on biology and life table of Luciaphorus perniciosus Rack infesting the tropical white rot fungus, Lentinus squarrosulus Mont. in Thailand

Luciaphorus perniciosus Rack is a serious pest of cultivated mushrooms including Ganoderma lucidum (Fr.), Flammulina velutipes Karst., Auricularia polytricha, Lentinus polychrous Lev. and Lentinus squarrosulus Mont. in Thailand.  This mite can damage all stages of the mushroom by retarding the mycelial growth and suppressing sporophore formation.  Economic loss due to mite infestation was reported in many areas, especially in the central, northern and eastern parts of Thailand where A. polytricha and L. squarrosulus are grown.  Luciaphorus perniciosus produces its offspring inside the female physogastric hysterosoma, where all embryos developed to adults and remained there until the abdomen burst.  Once the abdomen burst, fertilized females dispersed away from the cadaver of the mother to find their food source, started to feed and the abdomen began to swell.  The biology and life table of this mite fed on L. squarrosulus was investigated in the laboratory condition at 20, 25, 30 and 35°C.  The life history raw data were analyzed by using the TWOSEX-MSChart program.  The standard errors of population parameters were estimated by using the bootstrap technique (20,000 bootstraps).  The life cycle, net reproductive rate (R₀), intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate (λ), and mean generation time (T) at each temperature were reported.