Blattisocius tarsalis (Berlese)

De, Jeferson L., Lindquist, Evert E. & De, Gilberto J., 2009, Edaphic ascid mites (Acari: Mesostigmata: Ascidae) from the state of São Paulo, Brazil, with description of five new species, Zootaxa 2024, pp. 1-32 : 3-4

Blattisocius tarsalis (Berlese)

Lasioseius (Lasioseius) tarsalis Berlese, 1918: 134 .

Typhlodromus tineivorus Oudemans, 1929: 34 .

Blattisocius triodons Keegan, 1944: 181 ; Garman, 1948: 18.

Lasioseius similis Schweizer, 1949: 49 .

Blattisocius tineivorus .— Nesbitt, 1951: 51; Womersley, 1954: 184.

Melichares (Blattisocius) tarsalis .— Evans, 1958: 209; Athias-Henriot, 1959: 162; Athias-Henriot, 1961: 460; Hughes, 1961: 235.

Blattisocius tarsalis .— Schweizer, 1961: 132; Chant, 1963: 298 –300; Lindquist & Evans, 1965: 48; McGraw & Farrier, 1969: 59; Hughes, 1976: 325; Haines, 1978: 20; Domrow, 1979: 98; Halliday et al., 1998: 19.

Material examined: Piracicaba - 1 female, 21.xii.1998, from soil of a patch of secondary forest; 1 female, 21.xii.1998, from litter of a patch of rubber tree plantation.

Previous records: Australia ( Domrow 1979; Halliday et al. 1998), Algeria ( Athias-Henriot 1959, 1961), Brazil ( Reis & Paschoal 1968; Flechtmann 1981), England ( Hughes 1961, 1976; Haines 1979), Italy ( Berlese 1918), Germany ( Hase 1933; Westerboer & Bernhard 1963), Sweden ( Sellnick 1958), Switzerland ( Schweizer 1949, 1961), Russia ( Bregetova 1977), continental USA and Canada ( Chant 1963; McGraw & Farrier 1969), Hawaiian Islands ( Garret & Haramoto 1967). Treat (1975) and Farrier & Hennessey (1993) cite other references with records of this species from Canada, Hawaiian Islands, continental USA and Europe.

Diagnosis: Chelicerae of female with fixed digit reduced, less than half length of movable digit; fixed digit without teeth, and with pilus dentilis inserted at distal extremity; movable digit with three teeth (not ‘edentate’ as stated in key to species by Halliday et. al 1998). Peritreme reduced in length, extending to posterior margins of coxa II. Female sternal shield lacking endopodal extensions between coxae II–III, and with 3 pairs of setae; metasternal seta inserted in soft cuticle; lacking sclerotized endopodal strips between coxae II and III, III and IV. Female ventri-anal shield subrectangular, narrow, longer than wide, with three pairs of opisthogastric setae in addition to the circum-anal setae. Male sternogenital shield with posterior extremity constricted, tongue-shaped, leaving genital seta free on soft cuticle.

Remarks: This species had been previously reported in Brazil only from stored products ( Reis & Paschoal 1968; Flechtmann 1981). Extensive descriptions of its biology and behavior, with records of feeding on eggs, larvae, and occasionally adults of moths are given by Treat (1975) and Hughes (1976), and its potential use as a predator of insect pests of stored food products was discussed by Lindquist (1983). Records of a similar predatory association with bark beetles have been cited by McGraw & Farrier (1969).