Phytoptidae, A.Murray, 1877

Navia, Denise, Duarte, Mercia Elias & Flechtmann, Carlos H. W., 2021, Eriophyoid mites (Acari: Prostigmata) from Brazil: an annotated checklist, Zootaxa 4997 (1), pp. 1-152 : 67-69

Phytoptidae , Sierraphytoptinae, Mackiellini

191 * Retracrus heliconiae Ferreira & Navia, 2015 in Navia et al. (2015: 102).

Type host. Heliconia pendula Wawra (Heliconiaceae) .

Type locality. Ilhéus (campus of Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (14°47’45.66”S, 39°10’10”W), Bahia , Brazil.

Relationship to host plant. Vagrants on the upper leaf surface without apparent injuries, found in low population density ( Navia et al. 2015).

Remark. Only known from the type host/locality.

Type host plants status. Native herb, not endemic, occurring in the Mata Atlântica biome ( Flora do Brasil 2020) .

192 Retracrus johnstoni Keifer, 1965 b: 7 .

Type host. Chamaedorea sp. (Arecaceae) .

Type locality. Chiapas, Mexico .

Additional hosts and localities in Brazil. On Cocos nucifera L. ( Arecaceae ): Maragogi (8°55’23.45”S, 35°90’32.25”W) ( Navia et al. 2015), Alagoas; Indiaroba ( Santana & Flechtmann 1998), Bahia ; Amontada ( Santana & Flechtmann 1998), Guaramiranga (4°16’S, 38°54’W) ( Barros 2017), Ceará; João Pessoa ( Santana & Flechtmann 1998), Pitimbu (7º32’9.19”S, 34°50’0.20”W) ( Navia et al. 2015), Paraíba; Ipojuca ( Santana & Flechtmann 1998), Itamaraca (7°46’11.33”S, 34°51’5.51”W) ( Navia et al. 2015), Pernambuco; Praia de Búzios, Natal (6°6’50.08”S, 35°9’32.00”W) ( Navia et al. 2015), Rio Grande do Norte; Cananéia (24°53’45”S, 47°50’17”W), Piracicaba (22°42’30”S, 47°48’00”W) (Navia et al. 2007), São Paulo; Aracaju ( Santana et al. 1994), Estância, Itaporanga D’ajuda, Pirambu, Santa Luzia, São Cristovão ( Santana & Flechtmann 1998), Sergipe; on Astrocaryum aculeatissimum Mart. (Arecaceae) : Pariquera-Açu (24°36’41”S, 47°53’23”W) (Navia et al. 2007), São Paulo; on Bactris gasipaes Kunth. (Arecaceae) : Pariquera-Açu (24°36’41”S, 47°53’23”W) (Navia et al. 2007), São Paulo; on Bactris setosa Mart. (Arecaceae) : Cananéia (24°53’45”S, 47°50’17”W), Pariquera-Açu (24°36’41”S, 47°53’23”W) (Navia et al. 2007), São Paulo; on Euterpe edulis Mart. (Arecaceae) : Cananéia (24°53’45”S, 47°50’17”W), Pariquera-Açu (24°36’41”S, 47°53’23”W), Piracicaba (22°42’30”S, 47°48’00”W), Jundiaí (23°13’18”S, 46°55’16”W) (Navia et al. 2007), São Paulo; on Elaeis guineensis Jacq. (Arecaceae) : Igarassu (27°53’28”S, 34°58’35”W), Recife (08°10’52”S, 34°54’47”W) (Navia et al. 2007), Pernambuco; on Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Arecaceae) : Piracicaba (22°42’30”S, 47°48’00”W) (Navia et al. 2007), São Paulo; on Euterpe precatoria Mart. (Arecaceae) : Embrapa Amazônia Ocidental and Reserva Adolpho Ducke, INPA -Manaus (03°08’07”S, 60°01’34”W) ( Navia & Flechtmann 2004), Amazonas; on Euterpe sp. (Arecaceae) : Igarassu (27°53’28”S, 34°58’35”W) and Recife (08°10’52”S, 34°54’47”W) (Navia et al. 2007), Pernambuco; on Geonoma gamiova Barb. Rodr. (Arecaceae) : Pariquera-Açu (24°36’41”S, 47°53’23”W) (Navia et al. 2007), São Paulo; on Geonoma pohliana Mart. (Arecaceae) : Pariquera-Açu (24°36’41”S, 47°53’23”W) (Navia et al. 2007), São Paulo; on Geonoma schottiana Mart. (Arecaceae) : Cananéia (24°53’45”S, 47°50’17”W) and Pariquera-Açu (24°36’41”S, 47°53’23”W) (Navia et al. 2007), São Paulo; on Mauritia flexuosa L. ( Arecaceae ): Manaus (03°08’07”S, 60°01’34”W) (Embrapa Amazônia Ocidental and Reserva Adolpho Ducke, INPA) ( Navia & Flechtmann 2004), Amazonas; on Scheelea sp. , presently referred as Attalea sp. ( Flora do Brasil 2020) ( Arecaceae ): Campinas (24°36’41”S, 47°53’23”W) (Navia et al. 2007), São Paulo; on Syagrus romanzoffiana (Cham) (Arecaceae) : Arapoti ( Santana & Flechtmann 1998), Paraná; Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, Itatiaia ( Santana et al. 1994), Rio de Janeiro; locality not informed ( Moraes et al. 2002), Piracicaba ( Van Der Geest et al. 2002), Pariquera-Açu (22°42’30”S, 47°48’00”W) (Navia et al. 2007), São Paulo.

Relationship to host plants. In the type host, mites are vagrants on the undersurface of the leaves. Their feeding activities produce characteristic black spots, visible on both leaf surfaces ( Keifer 1965b). In young leaves these spots are small, gradually increasing with leaf development, finally occupying a large leaf area. Undersurface of infested leaves stay covered by numerous whitish points that constitutes the mites’ waxy molts. Older leaves present rusty patches ( Santana et al. 1994; Moraes & Flechtmann 2008). Symptoms were not reported in the additional host plants.

Remarks. Type species in the genus Retracrus . Highly infested plants can present a generalized chlorotic aspect. This species is one of the main phytophagous mites infesting coconut in Brazil ( Teodoro et al. 2015). One of the generalist eriophyid mites reported infesting eleven palm genera. Traditional morphometry and geometric analyses suggest occurrence of cryptic species ( Navia et al. 2015) and further biological and molecular studies are needed to clarify this suspicion.

Type host plant status in Brazil. Native palm tree, not endemic, occurring in Amazônia biome (Viana 2020b) .

Additional host plant status in Brazil. A. aculeatissimum — native palm tree, endemic, occurring in Cerrado and Mata Atlântica biomes; Attalea sp. —native palm tree, not endemic, occurring in Amazônia, Caatinga, Cerrado and Mata Atlântica biomes; B. gasipaes — native palm, not endemic, occurring in Amazônia biome; B. setosa — native palm tree, endemic, occurring in Cerrado, Mata Atlântica and Pampa biomes ( Lorenzi 2020a); C. nucifera — naturalized palm tree ( Vianna 2020c), widely cultivated or disseminated in coastal and tropical areas in Northeast, North, Southeast and Mid-West Regions ( Lorenzi et al. 1996; 2006); E. edulis — native palm tree, not endemic, occurring in Cerrado and Mata Atlântica biomes; E. guineensis — naturalized palm tree, occurring in Mata Atlântica biome ( Lorenzi 2020b); E. oleracea —native palm tree, not endemic, occurring in Amazônia and Cerrado biomes; E. precatoria — native palm tree, not endemic, occurring in Amazônia biome, in the North Region ( Vianna 2020d). A palm tree of high economic and social importance. Very popular for the production of a drink, obtained from the pulp of the fruit, known as açaí wine. Heart is also used for the construction of houses and the roots are medicinal ( Lorenzi et al. 1996); Euterpe sp. —native palm tree, not endemic, occurring in Amazônia, Cerrado and Mata Atlântica biomes ( Vianna 2020d). G. gamiova and G. pohliana — herbaceous native palm, endemic, occurring in Mata Atlântica biome; G. schottiana — herbaceous native palm, endemic, occurring in Mata Atlântica and Pampa biomes, in the South and Southeast Regions; M. flexuosa — native palm tree, not endemic, occurring in Amazônia, Caatinga and Cerrado biomes ( Vianna 2020e); S. romanzoffiana — native palm tree, not endemic, occurring in Cerrado, Mata Atlântica and Pampa biomes ( Soares 2020).

193 * Retracrus pupunha Reis & Navia, 2012 in Reis et al. (2012: 56).

Type host. Bactris gasipaes Kunth (Arecaceae) .

Type locality. Campo Experimental Confiança, Embrapa, Cantá (02°35’40.8”N, 60°29’10.51”W), Roraima, Brazil .

Relationship to host plant. No symptoms were seen ( Reis et al. 2012).

Remarks. Only known from the type host/locality.

Type host plants status. Native palm, not endemic, occurring in Amazônia biome ( Lorenzi 2020a).