Amblyseius largoensis (Muma)

Kreiter, Serge & Abo-Shnaf, Reham I. A., 2020, Phytoseiid mites of Rodrigues Island (Acari: Mesostigmata), Acarologia 60 (2), pp. 449-468 : 456

Amblyseius largoensis (Muma)

Amblyseiopsis largoensis Muma 1955: 266 .

Typhlodromus (Amblyseius) largoensis, Chant 1959: 96 .

Amblyseius (Amblyseialus) largoensis, Muma 1961: 287 .

Typhlodromus largoensis, Hirschmann 1962: 2 .

Amblyseius (Amblyseius) largoensis, Ehara 1966: 22 .

Amblyseius largoensis, Swirski & Golan 1967: 225 .

Amblyseius magnolia Muma 1961: 289 (Synonymy according to Denmark & Evans 2011).

Amblyseius sakalava Blommers 1976: 96 (Synonymy according to Ueckermann & Loots 1988).

Amblyseius amtalaensis Gupta 1977: 53 (Synonymy according to Gupta 1986).

This species belongs to the largoensis species group, and the largoensis species subgroup for the same reasons.

It is widespread in all tropical and subtropical regions of the world and was the most abundant species collected by Moraes et al. (2000) in French Caribbean Islands.

Using morphometric analyses of 36 characters, molecular analyses and crossing tests, Navia et al. (2014) studied specimens collected from Brazil, La Réunion Island and Trinidad and Tobago to determine whether A. largoensis populations from different geographic origins belong to the same taxonomic entity. Though differences in the lengths of some setae were observed, molecular analyses and crossing experiments indicated that populations from Indian Ocean and America were conspecific.

World distribution: this species is widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, America, Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Specimens examined: 40 ♀♀ + 6 ♂♂ in total. Port-Mathurin, City Center (10 m aasl, lat. 19°40 ′ 53 ″ S, long. 63°25 ′ 17 ″ E), 5 ♀♀ on Citrus limon (L.) Burman ( Rutaceae ), 8/XI/2018 and 1 ♀ + 1 ♂ on Litchi chinensis Sonnerat , 14/XI/2018; Accacia (11 m aasl, lat. 19°40 ′ 48 ″ S, long. 63°25 ′ °07 ″ E), 1 ♀ on Mangifera indica L. (Anacardiceae), 9/XI/2018; Baie aux Huitres (8 m aasl, lat. 19°41 ′ 16 ″ S, long. 63°24 ′ °13 ″ E), 1 ♀ on Carica papaya L. ( Caricaceae ) and 2 ♀♀ on Polyscias scutellaria (Burman) Fosberg (Araliaceae) , 9/XI/2018; Quatre-Vents (293 m aasl, lat. 19°44 ′ 12 ″ S, long. 63°27 ′ 19 ″ E), 2 ♀♀ on Mimusops coriacea (de Candolle) Miquel (Sapotaceae) , 3 ♀♀ on Pandanus heterocarpus Balfour (Pandanaceae) , 12/XI/2018; Samy (201 m aasl, lat. 19°42 ′ 28 ″ S, long. 63°24 ′ 24 ″ E), 3 ♀♀ and 3 ♂♂ on Citrus limon (L.) Burman ( Rutaceae ), 12/XI/2018; Allée Tamarin (71 m aasl, lat. 19°41 ′ 22 ″ S, long. 63°24 ′ 11 ″ E), 4 ♀♀ on Pittosporum balfouri Cufodontis (Pittosporaceae) , 12/XI/2018; Baie aux huitres, Front Sea (8 m aasl, lat. 19°41 ′ 40 ″ S, long. 63°24 ′ 30 ″ E), 1 ♀ on Cupressus sempervirens L. ( Cupressaceae ), 9/XI/2018; Petite-Butte (80 m aasl, lat. 19°45 ′ 00 ″ S, long. 63°23 ′ 00 ″ E), 3 ♀♀ on Ixora sp. ( Rubiaceae ) and 1 ♀ and 1 ♂ on Tarrena borbonica (E.G. Henderson et A.A. Henderson) Verdcourt (Rubiaceae) , 14/XI/2018; Mont Lubin (346 m aasl, lat. 19°42 ′ 21 ″ S, long. 63°26 ′ 40 ″ E), 1 ♀ on Litsea glutinosa (Loureiro) Robinson (Lauraceae) , 15/XI/2018; Citronelle, city parc (349 m aasl, lat. 19°42 ′ 00 ″ S, long. 63°26 ′ 15 ″ E), 8 ♀♀ on Cryptomeria japonica D. Don (Taxodiaceae) and 3 ♀♀ and 1 ♂ on Mimusops coriacea de Candolle (Miquel) , 16/XI/2020; Citronelle, Plant Protection Service (388 m aasl, lat. 19°42 ′ 02 ″ S, long. 63°25 ′ 17 ″ E), 1 ♀ on Prunus persica (L.) Batsch ( Rosaceae ), 16/XI/2020.

Remarks: morphological and morphometric characters and all measurements fit well with measurement values given by Zannou et al. (2007) for specimens from Africa, Navia et al. (2014) for specimens from Brazil, La Réunion and Trinidad and Tobago an,d Ferragut and Baumann (2019) for specimens from Mauritius. This is of the three more numerous species collected during this study and probably one of the more common species on the island, with A. passiflorae and E. ovaloides .