Life history studies first were conducted for the prey, the avocado brown mite Oligonychus punicae (Hirst), and the predators, the phytoseiid mite Typhlodromus floridanus (Muma) and coccinellid Stesborus picipes Casey, in an insectary chamber on excised Persea indica Spreng leaves. Both mite species developed at a faster mean rate than did S. picipes. A life table was constructed for each species from the life history data. Despite a shorter oviposition period than that of either predator, O. punicae not only laid more eggs/female per day, but also had a higher mean-age specific fecundity rate. The intrinsic rate of increase, rm, was highest for O. punicae (0.222), followed by T. floridanus (0.159) and S. picipes (0.121).
