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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Soybean Genomics & Improvement Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #290563

Title: Tenuipalpidae (Acari: Trombidiformes) from Casuarinaceae

Author
item BEARD, J - University Of Maryland
item SEEMAN, O - Queensland Museum
item Bauchan, Gary

Submitted to: Zootaxa
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/3/2013
Publication Date: 3/12/2014
Citation: Beard, J.J., Seeman, O.D., Bauchan, G.R. 2014. Tenuipalpidae (Acari: Trombidiformes) from Casuarinaceae. Zootaxa. 3778:001-157.

Interpretive Summary: Flat mites in the family Tenuipalpidae are plant feeding mites of increasing economic significance across the world. Australia has the highest level of native flat mites in the world. Many of these mites are strongly associated with various species of Australian native tropical pine-like plants in the Casuarinaceae family. We describe 12 new species, and redescribe six species, from one new genus and six established genera of mites. All mite species considered here were specific to one host, with up to three different species of mite found on one host species. The Casuarinaceae is a plant family comprised of 96 species naturally distributed across Australia, Southeast Asia and the western Pacific. Three species have been spread around the world, including Florida, for coastal dune stabilization. This is the first study in the world to examine these mites using scanning electron microscopy, the first to provide details of plant species relationships and descriptions of all stages of development of the mite. Research scientists, growers, and USDA-APHIS will use this information for the identification of potential pests in the U.S.

Technical Abstract: The Tenuipalpidae from the Casuarinaceae are reviewed. Twelve new species are described, from one new genus and six established genera: Chaudhripalpus costacola Beard & Seeman sp. nov., Crossipalpus gersoni Beard & Seeman sp. nov., Crossipalpus raveni Beard & Seeman sp. nov., Magdalenapalpus caperatus Beard & Seeman sp. nov., Magdalenapalpus forsteri Seeman & Beard sp. nov., Pentamerismus sititoris Beard & Seeman sp. nov., Pentamerismus hicklingorum Seeman & Beard sp. nov., Pentamerismus wardo Seeman & Beard sp. nov., Palpipalpus hesperius Beard & Seeman sp. nov. gen. nov. and Philippipalpus flumaquercus Beard & Seeman sp. nov., Philippipalpus belah Beard & Seeman sp. nov., Philippipalpus nigraquercus Seeman & Beard sp. nov. Aegyptobia delfinadae (Smiley, Frost & Gerson), Crossipalpus muellerianae Smiley, Frost & Gerson, Crossipalpus verticillatae Smiley, Frost & Gerson, and Tegopalpus conicus Womersley are redescribed from the original type specimens and newly collected material; and Chaudhripalpus creelae (Smiley, Frost & Gerson), Magdalenapalpus strandtmanni (Smiley, Frost & Gerson) and Philippipalpus agohoi Corpuz-Raros are redescribed from type material only. All flat mite species were host-specific. Up to three species of flat mite were found on each host species. Leg chaetotaxy and ontogeny is reviewed for the taxa studied. A key to Tenuipalpidae from Casuarinaceae is provided. A phylogeny of the subfamily Tegopalpinae, which also included all flat mites on Casuarinaceae, supported the monophyly of most genera, but found a paraphyletic Aegyptobia and polyphyletic Tegopalpinae due to the inclusion of Ae. delfinadae in the Tegopalpinae.