Ueckermannseius nesiotus (Ueckermann & Kreiter)

Kreiter, Serge, Payet, Rose-My, Douin, Martial, Fontaine, Olivier, Jacques, Fillâtre & Bellec, Fabrice Le, 2020, Phytoseiidae of La Réunion Island (Acari: Mesostigmata): three new species and two males described, new synonymies, and new records, Acarologia 60 (1), pp. 111-195 : 167

Ueckermannseius nesiotus (Ueckermann & Kreiter)

Typhlodromalus nesiotus Ueckermann & Kreiter 2002: 343 .

Ueckermannseius nesiotus Chant & McMurtry, 2005b: 203 ; 2007: 115.

This species was described as Typhlodromalus nesiotus Ueckermann and Kreiter in Kreiter et al. (2002) but as all setae are short to minute, the setae Z4 are not as long as distance between their base and that of setae S4 and the dorsal shield is smooth except some anterolateral striations, it belongs to the genus Ueckermannseius ( Chant and McMurtry 2005b) . This species has never been recorded from other countries or record again in La Réunion since its description.

The biology of this species remains totally unknown.

This is the first new record since the original description in 2002.

Specimens examined: two ♀♀ in total, both measured. Petite Île – Piton Bloc , Yébo Luguy farm (aasl 973 m, Long 55°34’64” E, Lat 21°18’64” S), 1 ♀ on R. raphanistrum , 9/12/2015 ; Forêt de Sans Souci – Ilet Alcide , (aasl 1452 m, Long 55°22’07” E, Lat 21°01’17” S), 1 ♀ on Hypericum lanceolatum Lam. , 18/11/2018 .

Remarks: the two females collected and measured during this study ( Table 26 ) slightly differ from females measured by Kreiter et al. (2002). Dorsal shield dimensions are greater by 15–26%, length and width of the sternal shield are greater by 25 and 20% respectively, and the length of JV5 is greater by 60%.