Amblyseius parasundi Blommers, 1974

Kreiter, Serge, Payet, Rose-My, Abo-Shnaf, Reham & Douin, Martial, 2021, New Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) of Mascareignes and Comoros Archipelagos (Indian Ocean): one new record, three new species groups and description of six new species and of six unknown males, Acarologia 61 (4), pp. 845-889 : 862-864

Amblyseius parasundi Blommers

Amblyseius (Proprioseiopsis) parasundi Blommers 1974: 144 .

Amblyseius (Amblyseius) parasundi , Denmark & Muma 1989: 19.

Amblyseius parasundi, Moraes et al. 1986: 27, 2004b: 46 .

Description of adult male of Amblyseius parasundi Blommers (n = 8, Figs 6 a-d)

Dorsum ( Fig. 6a ) – Dorsal shield smooth, 265 (253–275) long and 179 (170–213) wide, with only four solenostomes difficult to distinguish (gd2, gd4, gd8 and gd9), four pairs of poroids, 18 pairs of dorsal setae (r3 and R1 on dorsal shield): j1 29 (26–33), j3 39 (38–41),

j4 4 (4–5), j5 4, j6 5 (4–5), J2 5 (5–6), J5 7 (5–8), z2 7 (6–8), z4 7 (7–8), z5 5 (4–5), Z4 142 (130–150), Z5 364 (350–383), s4 140 (133–146), S2 7 (6–8), S4 8 (6–8), S5 6 (5–7), r3 13 (11–15), R1 7 (6–8). All setae sharp-tipped and smooth, except for Z4 and Z5 lightly serrate.

Peritreme and peritremal plate ( Fig. 6a ) – Extending to level of j1 ; peritremal plate fused with dorsal shield at level between z2 and z4.

Venter ( Fig. 6b ) – Sternogenital shield smooth with very few striae, five pairs of setae (st1-st5) and two pairs of poroids (iv1 and iv2). Distances st1-st1 54 (49–58), st2-st2 62 (60–63), st3-st3 58 (50–59), st1-st5 117 (113–120), st4-st4 43 (40–45), st5-st5 38 (34–41). Ventrianal shield 119 (115–125) long, 153 (145–160) wide at anterior corners and 64 (58–70) wide at level of para-anal setae. Ventrianal shield striate, with three pairs of pre-anal setae (JV1, JV2 and ZV2) and a pair of small rounded gv3, between JV2 just below the line between their bases, 16 (13–20) apart. A pair of iv5 and two pairs of poroids ivo also discernible. Unsclerotized cuticle around ventrianal shield with a pair of setae (JV5). Seta JV5 smooth, 65 (60–69) long.

Chelicerae ( Fig. 6c ) – Fixed digit 24 (22–25) long, with 11 teeth discernible; and movable digit 27 (25–28) long, with three teeth discernible. Spermatodactyl shaft 15 (13–18) long and branch 5 (4–5). Pilus dentilis not visible.

Legs ( Fig. 6d ) – All legs with sharp-tipped macrosetae similar to adult female. Measurements: SgeI 61 (55–65), SgeII 39 (37–40), SgeIII 56 (48–58), StiIII 46 (43–49), SgeIV 171 (160–180), StiIV 128 (122–138), StIV 94 (90–98). Chaetotactic formula of genua II and III similar to adult female. One erected seta on femur IV.

Specimens examined. Eight ♂♂ collected during this study, measured and deposited as complementary voucher material. MAYOTTE ISLAND: Coconi, Maison de l’Office National des Forêts (156 m aasl, 12°50′1″ S, 45°8′5″ E), 1 ♂ on Terminalia catappa L. ( Combretaceae ), 24/XI/2018 ; Combani, gîte du Mont-Combani (437 m aasl, 12°48′23′′ S, 45°9′17′′ E), 1 ♂ on Cocos nucifera L. ( Arecaceae ), and 1 ♂ on Cananga odorata L. ( Annonaceae ), 25/XI/2018 ; L’Abattoir, Dziani lake (23 m aasl, 12°46′14′′ S, 45°17′18′′ E), 1 ♂ on Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg (Moraceae) , 27/XI/2018. MOHELI ISLAND: Hoani, inside village (38 m aasl, 12°17′3′′ S, 43°44′34′′ E), 1 ♂ on Theobroma cacao L. ( Malvaceae ), 3/XII/2018 ; Bangoma, Les Hauts (137 m aasl, 12°17′18′′ S, 43°43′41′′ E), 1 ♂ and 1 im. on Cinnamomum odoratum Schäffer (Lauraceae) , 1 ♂ on Annona muricata L. ( Annonaceae ) and 1 ♂ on Litchi chinensis Sonnerat (Sapindaceae) , 4/XII/2018.

Voucher material. Eight males on eight slides are deposited in Institut Agro (Montpellier SupAgro) – INRAE Acarology collection, Montpellier, France.

Differential diagnosis and remarks. This species has no seta Z1 and consequently belongs to the sundi species group and having the spermatheca elongate, tube-like, it belongs to the sundi species subgroup. The following combination of characters indicated below in the description of the male of this species is quite similar to the unique described males of species of Amblyseius belonging to the sundi species group and to the sundi species subgroup. Not many characters allow distinguishing it from the single described male of this sundi subgroup, the male of A. sundi Pritchard & Baker. If no females are collected in the same time, the identification will be impossible. These characters are: the peritreme reaching level of j1, absence of reticulation of the dorsal shield, some dorsal setae length, especially j-J serie starting to j4, z2 to z5, R1 and S series (after s4) approximately of the same length (4–8), additional macrosetae on all other legs than leg IV, macrosetae of leg IV not subequal and long, sternogenital shield smooth,

ventrianal shield reticulate, only three pairs of pre-anal setae, a pair of round gv3 between JV2, a macroseta present also on genu lI, only three teeth on the movable digit and 11 on the fixed digit of chelicera instead of one and six in the male chelicera of A. sundi , respectively.

Characters of males are very similar to adult females, except of course for lengths of setae and other few characters. The only difference is that the ventrianal shield of the male is lightly reticulate in the anterior part and the ventrianal shield of the female is not.

Blommers and Gutierrez (1975) found this species very abundant on fruit trees preying on several species of tetranychid mites. Amblyseius sundi is reported by Blommers (1974) as being a thelytokous species in mass-rearing and field collected specimens and similar information is also mentioned by Denmark and Muma (1989). In nature, reproduction of A. parasundi seems more complicated. Males were not so rare in fields of the two Islands where they were found ( Mayotte and Mohéli). This suggests further fundamental studies on the biology of this species.

Figures

Figure 6 Paratype male of Amblyseius parasundiBlommers – a. Dorsal shield, b. Ventral shields, c. Spermatodactyl, d. Genu, tibia and basitarsus of leg IV.