Phytoseius haroldi Ueckermann & Kreiter, 2002

Kreiter, Serge, Payet, Rose-My, Douin, Martial, Fontaine, Olivier, Jacques, Fillâtre & Bellec, Fabrice Le, 2020, Phytoseiidae of La Réunion Island (Acari: Mesostigmata): three new species and two males described, new synonymies, and new records, Acarologia 60 (1), pp. 111-195 : 174

Phytoseius haroldi Ueckermann & Kreiter

Phytoseius haroldi Ueckermann & Kreiter, 2002: 339 ; Chant & McMurtry 2007: 129.

This species belongs to the horridus species group as setae J2 and R1 are absent ( Chant and McMurtry 1994). This species was described Kreiter et al. (2002) but have never been recorded from other countries or recorded again in La Réunion since its description. This species was abundant on lower vegetation in a study of companion plants in citrus orchard. It seems that this species prefers low plants but despite this observation that has to be confirmed, the biology of this species remains totally unknown. Measurements of some additional females (9) and of some males are provided in table 32.

This is the first new record In La Réunion since the original description and the second record in Indian Ocean after recent records of Ferragut and Baumann (2019).

Specimens examined: 349 ♀♀ + 135 ♂♂ + 95 im. in total, 9 ♀♀ + 8 ♂♂ measured. Saint- Pierre – Bassin-Plat CIRAD Research Station (aasl 153 m, Long 55°29’18” E, Lat 21°19’25” S), 2 ♀♀ on D. incanum , 1/8/2015; 1 ♀ on Dombeya acutangula Cav. , 1/11/2015; Saint-Joseph – Center of the city (aasl 37 m, Long 55°37’9” E, Lat 21°22’44” S), 4 ♀♀ + 1 ♂ on S. torvum , 16/12/2015 ; Saint-Pierre – Bassin-Plat CIRAD research station (aasl 153 m, Long 55°29’18” E, Lat 21°19’25” S), 4 ♀♀ in plot CC, 1 ♀ + 2 ♂♂ in plot M, 5 ♀♀ in plot H, 12/4/2016 ; 1 ♀ + 1 ♂ + 1 im. on D. incanum , 23/6/2016; 1 ♀ on D. acutangula , 23/6/2016; 2 ♀♀ in plot HM, 1 ♀ in plot M, 1 ♀ in plot CC, 23/8/2016 ; 1 ♀ in plot CC, 2 ♀♀ + 1 ♂ + 1 im. in plot H, 15/12/2016 ; Petite Île – Les bas, Doris Morel farm (aasl 230 m, Long 55°34’1” E, Lat 21°21’22” S), 1 ♀ on D. incanum , 31/5/2016; Petite Île – Piton Bloc, Yébo Luguy farm (aasl 973 m, Long 55°34’64” E, Lat 21°18’64” S), 1 ♀ on Raphanus raphanistrum L., 29/11/2016; Le Tampon – Ligne des 400 (aasl 463 m, Long 55°30’36” E, Lat 21°17’24” S), 2 ♀♀ + 1 ♂ + 1 im. on Ipomoea sp., Sources of measurements – Burundi: Ueckermann et al. (2007) ; Hong-Kong: Swirski & Shechter (1961); Japan: Ehara (1967); Paratype Hong-Kong: Denmark (1966) ; -: not provided. 17/12/2016; Saint-Pierre – Bassin-Plat CIRAD Research Station (aasl 153 m, Long 55°29’18” E, Lat 21°19’25” S), 11 ♀♀ on P. guajava , 16/12/2016; La Saline – Jardin d’Eden (aasl 70 m, Long 55°13’46” E, Lat 21°20’25” S), 1 ♀ on Cananga odorata (Lam.) Hook. f. & Thomson, 22/1/2017; Langevin – Jacqueline Waterfall (aasl 5 m, Long 55°64’40” E, Lat 21°38’9” S), 1 ♀ on Scaevola taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb. , 1 ♀ on I. purpurea , 19/2/2017; Saint-Pierre – Bassin-Plat CIRAD Research Station (aasl 153 m, Long 55°29’18” E, Lat 21°19’25” S), 4 ♀♀ + 1 ♂ + 3 im. on B. pilosa , 2 ♂♂ + 1 im. on P. hysterophorus , 1 ♀ on E. hypericifolia , 1 ♀ on Cardiospermum halicacabum L., 5 ♀♀ + 1 ♂ + 1 im. on T. labialis , 20/2/2017; Montvert-les-Hauts – EARL Le Mont Vert farm (aasl 582 m, Long 55°32’19” E, Lat 21°19’42” S), 3 ♀♀ on L. camara , 22/2/2017; Saint-Pierre – Bassin-Plat CIRAD Research Station (aasl 153 m, Long 55°29’18” E, Lat 21°19’25” S), 3 ♀♀ on Duranta serratifolia , 27/2/2017; 1 ♀ + 1 ♂ on Sida acuta , 1 ♀ on E. hypericifolia , 1 im. on Tephrosia purpurea (L.) Pers., 3 ♀♀ + 1 im. on I. obscura , 2 ♀♀ + 1 im. on A. hispidum , 1 ♀ + 3 ♂♂ on L. leucocephala , 1 ♀ on C. halicacabum , 3 ♀♀ + 2 ♂♂ + 1 im. on M. coromandelianum , 30/3/2017; 2 ♀♀ in plot H, 13 ♀♀ + 1 im. in plot M, 6/4/2017; 1 ♀ on E. hypericifolia , 8 ♀♀ + 1 ♂ + 3 im. on T. purpurea , 9 ♀♀ + 3 ♂♂ + 2 im. on I. obscura , 3 ♀♀ on B. pilosa , 1 ♀ on T. labialis , 1 ♀ on A. viridis , 4 ♀♀ + 2 ♂♂ + 1 im. on P. hysterophorus , 2 ♀♀ on Digitaria radicosa (J.Presl) Miq. , 19/6/2017; 1 ♀ on D. radicosa , 20/6/2017; 246 ♀♀ + 113 ♂♂ + 76 im. on D. incanum , 3 ♀♀ on D. acutangula , 3/7/2017. Remarks: measurements of characters of nine females collected and measured during this study ( Table 32 ) are similar to those obtained from type material published in Kreiter et al. (2002) and from specimen females collected by Ferragut and Baumann (2019). Several males have been collected during this study but a male collected for the first time by Ferragut and Baumann (2019) in Mauritius was described before submission of this paper and the description of males collected during this study. Dimensions of eight additional male specimens ( Table 32 ) agree well with those of the single specimen male collected by Ferragut and Baumann (2019), except slightly shorter z3, st1-st5 length, st5-st5 length, and both fixed and movable digit lengths of the chelicerae and longer spermatodactyl in La Réunion Island specimens.