Aceria gilloglii Keifer 1963

Pye, Daniel R. L., 2012, New eriophyoid mites (Acari: Prostigmata: Eriophyoidea) in Britain: one new genus, four new species, 19 new records and two incursions, Zootaxa 3578, pp. 43-68 : 49

Aceria gilloglii Keifer 1963

Type host and locality. Host originally listed as Sasa pygmaea E. G. Camus ( Keifer 1963) , and later listed as Arundinaria pygmaea (Miq.) Asch. & Graebn ( Baker et al. 1996) (Poaceae) , USA, California, Los Angeles.

Distribution. England (recorded here as an incursion on a non-native host planted in 1992), Georgia [from Sasa veitchii (Carrière) Rehder and Pleioblastus distichus (Mitford) Nakai (Poaceae) ] ( Sukhareva 1994) and USA, California (op. cit.),

Relation to host. Vagrant on the under surface of the leaves, concentrated at the base, and also found between the leaf sheaths. Can apparently cause a slight "witches’ broom" effect when present in large numbers ( Keifer 1963).

Collection details. England, Surrey, Kew, Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG), high numbers on a bamboo tentatively named as Pleioblastus distichus (Mitford) Nakai (Chris Stapleton, formerly of Kew, RBG, personal communication 2012) [Kew accession number 1993–1136, named Arundinaria pygmaea (Miq.) Asch. & Graebn. var. disticha (Mitford) C. S. Chao & Renvoize ], collected by Sara Redstone (Plant Health & Quarantine Officer, Kew, RBG), 27.vii.2010.

Additional remarks. The mites were found on a non-native bamboo planted in Kew gardens in 1992. Aceria gilloglii is therefore recorded here in Britain as an incursion. However, bamboo plants are a popular ornamental in private and botanical gardens, but this eriophyoid species has so far not been recorded elsewhere in Britain, although more intensive and targeted surveys may reveal otherwise.