Aceria melicyti Lamb, 1953

Xue, Xiao-Feng & Zhang, Zhi-Qiang, 2008, New Zealand Eriophyoidea (Acari: Prostigmata): an update with descriptions of one new genus and six new species, Zootaxa 1962 (1), pp. 1-32 : 21

Aceria melicyti Lamb, 1953

Aceria melicyti Lamb, 1953: 380 .

Aceria melicyti ; Manson, 1984b: 31–32.

Material examined. 2 females and 5 males, from Melicytus ramiflorus (Violaceae) , Piha, Auckland, New Zealand, 5 November 2001, coll. A. R. Flynn, specimens deposited in PANZ; 5 females, from Melicytus micranthus (Violaceae) , Prices Valley reserve, Banks Peninsula, Mid-Canterbury, New Zealand, 17 August 2005, coll. N.A.Martin, specimens deposited in NZAC.

Additional leaves of Melicytus ramiflorus with the distinctive leaf edge roll were collected by N.A. Martin and deposited in NZAC: Tamariki Reserve , Waitakere Ranges, Auckland, New Zealand, 9 May 1999 ; Medhurst Road (North), Bombay, Auckland, New Zealand, 26 March 2000 ; Upper falls track, Hunua Falls, Hunua Ranges, Auckland, New Zealand, 27 December 2000 ; Turanga Road , Waitakere Ranges, New Zealand, 29 December 2000 ; Waiwhakaiho track, Mount Taranaki, New Zealand, 20 January 2001 ; Hinewai Reserve , Banks Peninsula, Mid-Canterbury, New Zealand, 21 August 2001 ; Mount William , Bombay, Auckland, New Zealand, 25 November 2001 ; Wenderholm , Auckland, New Zealand, 27 October 2002 ; Stonefields , Mangere, Auckland, New Zealand, 25 May 2003 ; Prices Valley , Banks Peninsula, Mid-Canterbury, New Zealand, 16 August 2005 .

Host. Melicytus ramiflorus , M. micranthus (Violaceae) .

Relation to host. Lamb (1953) noted that the mites were associated with flower galls. Manson (1984b) noted that most of the mites on the type slides of Aceria melicyti are Ramaculus mahoe Manson, 1984 (Eriophyidae) . In Piha and Banks Peninsula, the mites formed leaf edge curl.

Distribution. Auckland (Rangitoto Island, Piha), Mid-Canterbury (Banks Peninsula).