Prey Consumption Behavior of Amblyseius Largoensis in Relation to Hunger

A series of constant observations on Amblyseius largoensis (Muma) on excised avocado leaves in the laboratory revealed that the hunger level of this predator directly affected the time spent feeding on individual prey, the relative aggressiveness, the frequency of successful captures, the length of digestive pause, and the speed of movement. Feeding and nonfeeding periods occurred in constantly recurring cycles. Hungry predators captured 2–4 prey in succession; after each capture a digestive pause followed, the length of which increased (up to 7–8 h) as the predator became increasingly satiated. This cycle was repeated 2–3 times in 24 h. Several thresholds appeared to be responsible for this behavior pattern.