Neoseiulus umbraticus (Chant)

Kreiter, Serge, Douin, Martial & Tixier, Marie Stephane, 2021, New records of phytoseiid mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) from Madeira Island, Acarologia 61 (2), pp. 217-240 : 221

Neoseiulus umbraticus (Chant)

Typhlodromus umbraticus Chant 1956: 26 .

Typhlodromus (Typhlodromus) umbraticus, Beglyarov 1958: 107 .

Amblyseius umbraticus, Athias­Henriot 1959: 138 .

Typhlodromus (Amblyseius) umbraticus, Chant 1959: 75 .

Amblyseius (Typhlodromopsis) umbraticus, Muma 1961: 287 .

Amblyseius (Amblyseius) umbraticus, Wainstein & Vartapetov 1973: 103 .

Amblyseius (Neoseiulus) umbraticus, Karg 1991: 23 .

Neoseiulus umbraticus, Moraes et al. 1986: 99, 2004: 149 , Chant & McMurtry 2003a: 23,

2007: 31.

Similar to the morphological characters already mentioned for N. madeirensis , this species is also belonging to the cucumeris species group of Neoseiulus and to the cucumeris species subgroup ( Chant and McMurtry 2003a).

Very few studies exist on its biology. Knisley and Swift (1971) and Kazak et al. (2002) showed its ability to develop feeding on Tetranychus urticae Koch. Sengonca and Dresher (2001) studied the ability of this species to feed and develop on Thrips tabaci Lindeman and concluded that this food alters its biological parameters in comparison T to. urticae .

It seems that N. umbraticus able to develop and reproduce also on Panonychus ulmi (Koch) , Calvolia lordi (Nesbitt) , Aculus schlechtendali (Nalepa) , adults of Quadraspidiotus perniciosus (Comstock) , and on apple and cherry pollens ( Knisley and Swift 1971). Adults of Agistemus fleschneri Summers , and winter eggs of P. ulmi were not fed ( Knisley and Swift 1971).

This is the first report of this species from Madeira Island.

World distribution: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Azores, Belarus, Caucasus Region, Denmark, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Latvia, Mexico, Moldovia, Montenegro, Morocco, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, USA.

Specimens examined: 13 specimens (9 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂ and 2 imm.) collected during this study. Encumeada (709 m aasl, 32°44 ′ 36 ″ N, 17°1 ′ 31 ″ W), 9 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂ and 2 imm. on an endemic plant of Madeira Island, the so­called Star of Madeira, Echium candicans L. f. ( Boraginaceae ), 20/V/2019.

Remarks: the description and measurements of morphological characters and traits of the adult females collected agree with those provided by Chant and Yoshida­Shaul. (1982) for specimens from England, by Ferragut et al. (2010) for specimens from Spain and by Tixier et al. (2016) for specimens from Morocco.