Proprioseiopsis asetus (Chant)

Negm, Mohamed W., Alatawi, Fahad J. & Aldryhim, Yousif N., 2012, A new species of Neoseiulus Hughes, with records of seven species of predatory mites associated with date palm in Saudi Arabia (Acari: Phytoseiidae), Zootaxa 3356, pp. 57-64 : 61

Proprioseiopsis asetus (Chant)

Typhlodromus (Amblyseius) asetus Chant, 1959: 80 .

Amblyseiulus asetus .— Muma, 1961: 278.

Proprioseiopsis asetus .— Fouly et al., 1994: 205; Moraes et al., 2004: 171; Chant & McMurtry, 2005: 13; 2007: 89.

Specimens examined. One female, three males, Dereiya, Riyadh, 17 March 2011, 24˚44' N, 46˚34' E, alt. 675 m, on Cynodon dactylon in a date palm orchard; one female, Ouyaina, Riyadh, 08 May 2011, 24°54' N, 46°23' E, alt. 736 m, on Nettle-leaved goosefoot, Chenopodium murale L. ( Amaranthaceae ) in a date palm orchard.

Remarks. The original description of P. asetus is based on material collected from apple, at Kearneysville, West Virginia, USA. Muma et al. (1970) recorded and described the males and females of 16 species in Florida including P. asetus . Our specimens of P. asetus agree with the data provided by Fouly et al. (1994) on the specimens collected in debris samples under "Hamlin" orange trees at Fellsmere, Indian River County, Florida. According to the redescription provided by Fouly et al. (1994, Figs. 29, 31), the genua and tibiae II–IV have 10–6 and 7–7 setae, respectively. However, the examined Saudi specimens have genua and tibiae II–IV with 8–7 and 7–6 setae, respectively. A description of larvae, protonymphs and deutonymphs of P. asetus including ontogenetic development of the idiosomal setae was given by Fouly et al. (1994). This is the first record of this species in Saudi Arabia, as well as in the Middle East and North Africa. It is otherwise known from Brazil, Galapagos, Hawaii, Jamaica, Mexico, Taiwan, USA ( Moraes et al., 2004).