Neoseiulella eiko Walter, 1997

Kanouh, M., Kreiter, S., Douin, M. & Tixier, M. - S., 2012, Revision Of The Genus Neoseiulella Muma (Acari: Phytoseiidae). Re-Description Of Species, Synonymy Assessment, Biogeography, Plant Supports And Key To Adult Females, Acarologia 52 (3), pp. 259-348 : 266-267

(iii). Neoseiulella eiko Walter

Neoseiulella eiko Walter 1997: 335 ; Moraes et al. 2004: 293; Chant and McMurtry 2007: 147.

The examination of the type materials of this species shows that Z1 is absent, and Z2 is present. These two characters with the presence of z3, s6 and S5, and the absence of z6 clearly constitute a new dorsal chaetotaxic pattern within the family Phytoseiidae . We therefore propose species to be included in a new genus in the tribe Typhlodromini (sub-family Typhlodrominae ). The description of this new genus will be on the scope of another publication. Material examined. The female holotype and three female paratypes, collected by Walter (1995) on leaves of rainforest trees near the Boulders (Babinda, Queensland, Australia). Type materials are deposited in the UQIC, Department of Entomology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia.

Are there species currently placed in other genera that in fact belong to the genus Neoseiulella ?

Working on the genus Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) , we observed that the species Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) elisae ( Schicha and McMurtry 1986) might be included in the genus Neoseiulella . Schicha and Mc- Murtry (1986), when described this species in the genus Typhlodromus , stated the absence of S5 on the dorsal shield. Furthermore, they drew nine pairs of ventrianal setae (4 preanals and 5 caudoventrals) whereas Phytoseiidae only could have eight ( Chant and McMurtry 2007). As no species of Phytoseiidae presently described have the combination of characters beared by T. (A.) elisae : absence of S5, presence of both Z1 and S2, and five pairs of caudoventral setae, one of the hypotheses to explain such an aberration would be that one of the caudoventral setae might correspond to the seta S5. If S5 is effectively present, T. (A.) elisae would key to the genus Neoseiulella . Chant and Yoshida-Shaul (1989) also considered this hypothesis as they thought that S5 might be present (despite the poor conditions of the holotype). They thus included this later species in the tiliarum group. However, Denmark and Rather (1996) did not agree with this hypothesis, and consequently, excluded it from the genus Neoseiulella . This species was then cited in the sub-genus Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) De Leon in the world catalogue of the family Phytoseiidae ( Moraes et al. 2004) and in the last revision of the family ( Chant and McMurtry 2007). However, the examination of the holotype ( Figure 1 ) clearly shows that S2 and Z1 (in the original description) are both present. This species thus does not belong to the genus Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) but to the genus Neoseiulella .

The questionements concerning T. (A.) elisae should alert us on the fact that in the literature other similar cases could exist, i.e. species placed in genera but clearly not belonging to them. In a further work, it would be worth to check for this.

Figures

FIGURE 1: Neoseiulella elisae (Schicha and McMurtry). Female (holotype): a – dorsal shield; b – ventral shields; c – spermatheca; d – chelicera.