Iphiseius degenerans (Berlese)

Kreiter, Serge, Douin, Martial & Tixier, Marie Stephane, 2021, New records of phytoseiid mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) from Madeira Island, Acarologia 61 (2), pp. 217-240 : 225

Iphiseius degenerans (Berlese)

Seius degenerans Berlese 1889: 9 .

Amblyseius (Iphiseius) degenerans, Muma 1961: 288 .

Typhlodromus degenerans, Hirschmann 1962: 2 .

Iphiseius (Iphiseius) degenerans, Pritchard & Baker 1962: 299 .

Amblyseius degenerans, Zaher 1986: 99 , Northcraft 1987: 521, Papadoulis & Emmanouel

1991: 36.

Iphiseius degenerans, Berlese 1921: 95 , Evans 1954: 518, Moraes et al. 1986: 61, 2004b: 92, Chant & McMurtry, 2005: 215, 2007: 125.

Iphiseius martigellus El­Badry 1968: 325 (synonymy according to Chant & McMurtry 2005).

The biological characteristics of this Mediterranean species have been well documented because of its use in controlling thrips on various cultivated plants in greenhouses. Iphiseius degenerans is a commercially available biological control agent of thrips and spider mites in greenhouse crops. It is able to feed on a variety of foods, but thrips’ larvae and sweet pepper pollen are unfavourable food for immature development. This could compromise the establishment of this biological control agent when used against thrips in sweet pepper crops. According to the classification by McMurtry et al. (2013), I. degenerans is a type­IV polliniphagous predator.

It is one of the most common native phytoseiid mite species on cassava in south Africa

( Zannou et al. 2005) and feeds on M. tanajoa ( Nwilene and Nachman 1996) , a widely distributed neotropical mite pest of cassava in Africa, insect larvae and pollen of many plants

( Vantornhout et al. 2005). Another study concluded that I. degenerans can be considered a suitable biological control candidate based on its preference for Eutetranychus orientalis

(Klein) in the Mediterranean region ( Fantinou et al. 2012). Iphiseius degenerans preys on

Oligonychus perseae Tuttle, Baker and Abbatiello. Although I. degenerans contribution to

O. perseae biocontrol can be limited, it needs to be assessed, also taking into account the importance of alternative food source (e.g. Castor oil pollen) for predator population growth

( Zappala et al. 2015). This species was already known from Madeira Island, first mentioned by Carmona (1962) and then by Ferragut and Baumann (2020).

World distribution: numerous countries in Northern and Southern Africa, in Mediterranean area ( Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Portugal), in Near East or Middle East ( Egypt, Israel, Lebanon,

Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Yemen), in Europe ( Georgia), in South America ( Brazil) and in

North America ( USA in California, Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire). Also Grande Comore

Island ( Kreiter et al. 2018b and Kreiter et al. submitted).

Specimens examined: 4 specimens (2 ♀♀, 1 ♂ and 1 imm.) collected during this study.

Porto da Cruz, Rum distillery (15 m aasl, 32°48 ′ 18 ″ N, 16°49 ′ 46 ″ W), 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂ and 1 imm.

on Acalypha wilkesiana Müller Argoviensis (Euphorbiaceae) , 18/V/2019.