Amblydromalus higuilloae (Denmark & Muma, 1975)

Kreiter, S., Mailloux, J., Tixier, M. - S., Le Bellec, F., Douin, M., Guichou, S. & Etienne, J., 2013, New Phytoseiid Mites Of The French West Indies, With Description Of A New Species, And New Records (Acari: Mesostigmata), Acarologia 53 (3), pp. 285-303 : 292-293

Amblydromalus higuilloae ( Denmark and Muma)

Typhlodromalus higuilloae Denmark and Muma, 1975: 292.

Typhlodromalus higuilloae Denmark et al., 1999: 59.

The biology of this species found only two times in Puerto Rico ( Denmark and Muma, 1975) on "higuillo" leaves ( Piper marginatum ) and in Honduras by Denmark et al. (1999) on Calea urticifolia remains unknown.

Previous Records — Puerto Rico ( Denmark and Muma, 1975; Moraes et al., 2004b), Honduras ( Denmark et al., 1999; Moraes et al., 2004b).

Specimens examined — Guadeloupe, Basse- Terre , Petit-Bourg , Domaine Duclos de l’INRA Antilles-Guyane, 16°12’N, 61°39’W, alt. 85 m, 1 ♀ on Vigna sp., Kreiter coll., 21 December 2008 ; Basse-Terre , Route ForestiŁre, Jules-Grosse Montagne, 16°12’N, 61°39’W, alt. 90 m, 1 ♀ on Vigna sp., Kreiter coll., 24 December 2008 ; Basse-Terre , riviŁre Corossol, Cascade des Ecrevisses, 16°11’N, 61°39’W, alt. 184 m, 1 ♀ on an unknown Melastomataceae, Kreiter coll., 21 December 2008 ; Basse- Terre , Vernou, Route du Col des Mamelles, 16°11’N, 61°39’W, alt. 184 m, 1 ♀ on Vigna sp., Kreiter coll., 26 December 2008 ; Grande-Terre , Porte d’Enfer, beach, 16°31’N, 61°28’W, alt. 2 m, 2 ♀ on Pluchea symphytifolia, Kreiter coll., 27 December 2008 ; Basse-Terre , 1 Łre Chute du Carbet, 16°03’N, 61°39’W, alt. 890 m, 1 ♂ on Clidemia umbrosa, Kreiter coll., 29 December 2008 ; Martinique, Basse-Pointe , Jardins ClØment, 14°50’N, 61°05’W, alt. 91 m, 2 ♀ on Panicum maximum, Kreiter coll., 16 November 2010 .

Remarks — this is the first record of this species in the French West Indies. The measurements of five (4 ♀ and 1 ♂) of the nine specimens collected fit rather well the measurements given by Denmark et al. (1999). All setae are however slightly shorter, between 1 and 5 for the greater, which represent less than 10 % of variation, which is less than the intraspecific of 20 % around the mean defined by Tixier (2012).

The average measurements of the four adult females presently found are as follow: dorsal shield sclerotized and reticulated, dorsal shield length 351 (350 – 352), width 232 (223 – 250), 5 solenostomes (gd 1, 2, 6, 8 and 9), j1 25 (22 – 28), j3 42 (40 – 44), j4 12 (9 – 13), j5 11 (10 – 14), j6 11 (11 – 14), J2 13 (12 – 14), J5 11 (9 – 14), z2 18 (16 – 21), z4 31 (30 – 33), z5 9 (7 – 9), Z1 12 (11 – 13), Z4 43 (42 – 44), Z5 67 (65 – 71), s4 66 (63 – 68), S2 26 (21 – 30), S4 16 (13 – 18), S5 11 (11 – 17), r3 30 (27 – 34), R1 14, all setae smooth except Z4 and Z5, st1-st1 60 (58 – 61), st2-st2 63 (61 – 65), st1-st3 62 (58 – 64), posterior margin of the sternal shield with a convex lobe, metapodal 1 length 17 (16 – 18), width 4, metapodal 2 length 7 (6 – 8), width 1, ventrianal shield 98 (94 – 104) long, 58 (55 – 58) wide at level of anterior corners and 57 (55 – 58) wide at level of anus, 4 poroids around the ventrianal shield and genital shield, JV5 41, spermatheca 16 (13 – 22) long and 5 width, SgeI 31 (30 – 32), SgeII 26, SgeIII 27 (25 – 29), StiIII 19, SgeIV 59 (56 – 63), StiIV 31 (29 – 32), StIV 63 (61 – 67), macrosetae whip-like, fixed digit of chelicerae 32 (29 – 33), mobile digit of chelicerae 31, 12 denticles on fixed digit and 5 on mobile digit.

The measurements of the single adult male presently found are as follow: dorsal shield sclerotized and reticulated, dorsal shield length 245, width 162, 2 solenostome (gd 1, 2, 6, 8 and 9), j1 15, j3 25, j4 7, j5 7, j6 9, J2 10, J5 8, z2 10, z4 12, z5 7, Z1 9, Z4 38, Z5 58, s4 32, S2 14, S4 12, S5 9, r3 13, R1 8, all setae smooth except Z4 and Z5, st1-st1 49, st2-st2 55, st1-st3 59, st1-st5 103.