Very little is known concerning beneficial arthropods in Mediterranean vineyards, besides phytoseids, and particularly concerning their action on Scapho deus tintanus, a leafhopper vector of a M.L.O. disease, flavescence dor e. Observations by beating were realized on 18 organic vineyards between May and June. Nevertheless, it is a convenient method.
Polyphageous predators are the most frequent arthropods.
All these arthropods have predatory action on a large range of insects. Most of them seem to appear quite late on the vine, excepted spiders, Anystidae, Phytoseidae and Miridae. Parasites were less often observed. Their effect on the regulation of the leafhopper population could not be estimated. Laboratory tests showed that Thomisidae, Salticidae, Anystis agilis, Chrysopa lucasina, have a significant predatory action on S. titanus, and at a smaller scale, M. chlorizans, Macrolophus, Nabidae and Myrmicinae.