Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor)

Lofego, Antonio C., Demite, Peterson R., Kishimoto, Raquel G. & De, Gilberto J., 2009, Phytoseiid mites on grasses in Brazil (Acari: Phytoseiidae), Zootaxa 2240, pp. 41-59 : 49

Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor)

Typhlodromus californicus McGregor, 1954: 89 ; El-Banhawy, 1979: 113.

Typhlodromus chilenensis Dosse, 1958: 55 (synonymy according Chant & McMurtry 2003a)

Neoseiulus californicus .— Moraes et al., 1986: 73; 2004: 109; Chant & McMurtry, 2003a: 21; Guanilo et al., 2008a: 26; 2008b: 19.

Amblyseius (Amblyseius) californicus .— Ueckermann & Loots, 1988: 150; Ehara & Amano, 1993: 10

Amblyseius (Neoseiulus) californicus .— Ehara & Amano, 1998: 33.

FEMALE (6 specimens measured). Dorsal shield 351 (345–365) long and 162 (158–165) wide; j1 23 (21–24), j3 32 (29–34), j4 21 (17–23), j5 22 (19–24), j6 25 (22–27), J2 30 (25–32), J5 12 (10–15), z2 28 (25–30), z4 30 (26–31), z5 23 (21–25), Z1 31 (28–35), Z4 54 (50–55), Z5 71 (69–74), s4 35 (32–37), S2 40 (38–43), S4 37 (35–40), S5 34 (31–38), r3 25 (23–26), R1 24 (22–31); distances between st1-st3 64 (63–65), st2-st2 59 (58– 61) and st5-st5 64 (61–66); ventri-anal shield 115 (113–118) long, 94 (87–99) wide at level of ZV2 and 84 (76–88) wide at level of anus; JV5 51 (46–57); movable cheliceral digit 27 (26–28) long, with 3 teeth; fixed cheliceral digit 26 (25–28) long, with 5 teeth; calyx of spermatheca 12 (11–14) long; St IV 57 (56–59).

Specimens examined: Sud Mennucci (20°39' S, 50°54' W), August 2007, on B. brizantha (2 Ƥ, 4 3); October 2007, on M. minutiflora (7 Ƥ). Novo Horizonte (21°03' S, 49°18' W), July 2008, on B. brizantha (1 Ƥ). Onda Verde (20°32' S, 49°14' W), August 2008, on P. maximum (1 Ƥ).

Remarks: This species is previously known from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, France, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Greece, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Taiwan, Tunisia, USA, Uruguay and Venezuela. The original description of this species was based only on a male specimen, providing no measurements. Measurements of females were provided for the first time by Schuster & Pritchard (1963), based on specimens from California ( USA). Measurements of the specimens collected are close to those given by the latter authors.