Survival and mortality of females and males of Oligonychus punicae (Trombidiformes: Tetranychidae) on three host plants under laboratory conditions

Variation in survival and mortality of adult female and male mites has been insufficiently studied. Quantifying the rate of biological aging is crucial for understanding the population's overall ecological strategy and for developing new, environmentally friendly control methods. Survival curves illustrate the sensitivity of arthropods to various environmental conditions, sex, genotype, food resources, and social interactions. We evaluated the survival and mortality of females and males of Oligonychus punicae Hirst (Trombidiformes: Tetranychidae) on squares of avocado ( Persea americana Mill.; Lauraceae), rose ( Rosa hybrida L.; Rosaceae), and guamuchil ( Pithecellobium dulce [Roxb.] Benth.; Fabaceae) leaves under laboratory conditions. The log rank test showed significant differences in survival distribution between females and males (P < 0.05). Females lived shorter lives than males on avocado (35 versus 44 days), guamuchil (31 versus 37 days), and rose (31 versus 37 days). In both sex, longevity was greatest on avocado leaf squares compared to guamuchil and rose squares. Both sexes exhibited a type I survival curve on the tested plants. The Gompertz model showed that the logarithm of the instantaneous mortality rate increases linearly with age of O. punicae on the three host plants. The mortality rate doubling time ( DT ) for both female and male O. punicae was shorter on guamuchil and rose leaves squares than on avocado leaves, indicating a faster increase in mortality when feeding on guamuchil and rose leaves squares compared to avocado leaves. Survival and mortality rates suggest that P. dulce and R. hybrida are unsuitable hosts for O. punicae adults, and that the greatest longevity and slowest decline in mortality of O. punicae adults were observed in P. americana cultivar Hass. These findings highlight that socio-sexual interactions in O. punicae represent a clear instance of sexual conflict, where male harassment or mating drastically reduces female fitness by compromising survival.