Abstract  [Objectives]  To clone the Panonychus citri fatty acid binding protein gene and analyze its response to food deprivation. [Methods] The full-length cDNA sequence of the PcFABP gene was, for the first time, cloned using RT-PCR in combination with RACE technology. The relative expression levels of the PcFABP gene in different developmental stages of P. citri were examined using RT-qPCR. In addition, the survival rate, oviposition, hatch rate, fecundity (eggs/female/day) and the expression of the gene, were measured after a period of food deprivation. [Results] The results demonstrate that the full-length cDNA sequence of PcFABP is 907bp long, including 119 bp 5′-UTRs, 402bp ORFss, and 387 bp 3′-UTR, and encodes a deduced protein of 133 amino acids. Amino acid sequence alignment suggests that the P. citri FABP gene is most homologous to the Tetranychus urticae FABP gene, and has a similarity to the PcFABP genes of other arachnids of about 50%. The PcFABP gene was expressed in all developmental stages of P. citri, but expression in the egg, larva and deutonymph were significantly higher than in other developmental stages. The survival and oviposition rates of P. citri females were significantly lower than those of the control group after being deprived of food for 24 h and 48 h. Allowing females to feed for 24 h after 24 h of food deprivation, or depriving them of food for 24h after allowing them to feed for 24 h, also significantly reduced female survival and oviposition rates relative to the control group. The hatching rate of the eggs laid by females subject to food deprivation was not, however, significantly different from that of the control group. The relative expression of the PcFABP gene was highest in females that fed for 24 h after being deprived of food for 24 h, and lowest in those that were deprived of food for 48 h. [Conclusion]  PcFABP may play an important role in the growth and development of P. citri, and may also be involved in the response of this species to food stress.