Paraphytoseius cracentis (Corpuz & Rimando)

Kreiter, Serge, Bopp, Marie-Charlotte, Douin, Martial, Nguyen, Duc Tung & Wyckhuys, Kris, 2020, Phytoseiidae of Vietnam (Acari: Mesostigmata) with description of a new species, Acarologia 60 (1), pp. 75-110 : 79-81

Paraphytoseius cracentis (Corpuz & Rimando)

Ptenoseius cracentis Corpuz & Rimando 1966: 115 .

Amblyseius (Paraphytoseius) multidentatus , misidentification (S5 illustrated in figures): Ehara & Bhandhufalck 1977: 79 as mentioned in Ehara et al. 2000: 114.

Paraphytoseius cracentis, Moraes et al. 1986: 104 ; Chant & McMurtry 2003b: 220; Moraes et al. 2004a: 160; Chant & McMurtry 2007: 53.

Specimens examined: Muoi, in P3 plot (aasl 66 m, lat. 21°54’40” N, long. 104°38’13” E), 1 ♀ + 1 ♂ on Chromolaena odorata (Asteraceae) and 1 ♀ on Rubus alceifolius (Rosaceae) , 11/V/2017; in P5 plot (aasl 66 m, lat. 21°54’56” N, long. 104°38’22” E), 3 ♀♀ + 1 ♂ + 1im. on C. odorata (Asteraceae) , 1 ♀ + 1 ♂ on Ficus hispida (Moraceae) and 1 ♀ + 1 ♂ on Artemisa vulgaris (Asteraceae) , 13/V/2017; in P6 plot (aasl 66 m, lat. 21°54’55” N, long. 104°38’22” E), 1 ♀ on Ficus hispida (Moraceae) and 1 ♀ on Curculigo orchioides (Hypoxidaceae) , 15/V/2017; in P7 plot (aasl 66 m, lat. 21°54’51” N, long. 104°38’22” E), 1 ♀ on F. hispida (Moraceae) and 2 ♀ + 2 ♂ on Urena lobata (Malvaceae) , 16/V/2017; in P8 plot (aasl 66 m, lat. 21°54’46” N, long. 104°38’9” E), 2 ♀♀ on C. odorata (Asteraceae) and 1 ♀ on R. alceifolius (Rosaceae) , 16/V/2017; in plot PM1 plot (aasl 66 m, lat. 21°54’ N, long. 104°38’ E), 2 ♀♀ on an unknown host plant, 17/V/2017; in P9 plot (aasl 66 m, lat. 21°54’46” N, long. 104°38’18” E), 1 ♀ on U. lobata (Malvaceae) and 6 ♀♀ + 1 ♂ on C. odorata (Asteraceae) , 18/V/2017; in P10 plot (aasl 66 m, lat. 21°54’46” N, long. 104°38’12” E), 2 ♀♀ + 1 ♂ on C. odorata (Asteraceae) , 18/V/2017; in P11 plot (aasl 66 m, lat. 21°54’30” N, long. 104°38’14” E), 4 ♀♀ + 1 ♂ on F. hispida (Moraceae) , 1 ♂ + 1 im. on Bidens pilosa (Asteraceae) , 4 ♀♀ + 1 ♂ on C. odorata (Asteraceae) , 1 ♂ on R. alceifolius (Rosaceae) and 2 ♀♀ + 1 ♂ on an unknown host plant, 31/V/2017; in P15 plot (aasl 66 m, lat. 21°54’56” N, long. 104°38’46” E), 2 ♀♀ on F. hispida (Moraceae) , 6 ♀♀ + 2 ♂♂ on U. lobata (Malvaceae) and 1 ♀ on Ch. odorata (Asteraceae) , 03/VI/2019; in P4 plot (aasl 66 m, lat. 21°54’41” N, long. 104°38’7” E), 1 ♀ on Xanthium strumarium (Asteraceae) , 18/VII/2017; in P5 plot (aasl 66 m, lat. 21°54’56” N, long. 104°38’22” E), 1 ♀ on U. lobata (Malvaceae) , 19/VII/2017; in P6 plot (aasl 66 m, lat. 21°54’55” N, long. 104°38’22” E), 3 ♀♀ on X. strumarium (Asteraceae) , 20/VII/2017; in P16 plot (aasl 66 m, lat. 21°54’56” N, long. 104°38’46” E), 1 ♂ on Ch. odorata (Asteraceae) and 1 ♀ on U. lobata (Malvaceae) , 22/VII/2017; in P10 plot (aasl 66 m, lat. 21°54’46” N, long. 104°38’12” E), 1 ♀ + 1 ♂ on Tephrosia candida (Fabaceae) and 1 ♀ on Morus alba (Moraceae) , 25/VII/2017; in P14 plot (aasl 66 m, lat. 21°54’56” N, long. 104°38’46” E), 1 ♀ on X. strumarium (Asteraceae) , 27/VII/2017; in P12 plot (aasl 66 m, lat. 21°54’51” N, long. 104°38’45” E), 2 ♀♀ + 1 ♂ on U. lobata (Malvaceae) , 29/VII/2017.

Remarks: the predatory mite P. cracentis is a natural enemy of thrips found on vegetables such as green bean, cucumber, green squash, eggplant, and pepper in the Red River Delta in Vietnam. Paraphytoseius cracentis is feeding on Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande ( Thysanoptera : Thripidae ) and Carpoglyphus lactis (L.) ( Acari : Acaridae ) ( Nguyen and De Clercq 2018, paper in which this species was mentioned for the first time for Vietnam. The intrinsic rate of natural increase of P. cracentis fed on C. lactis (0.215 female/ female/ day) was however significantly higher than that of mites fed on thrips (0.189). Nguyen and De Clercq (2018) conclude that P. cracentis can sustain and increase its population when fed on F. occidentalis , and that C. lactis can be used for mass-rearing of this predatory mite in the perspective to use it in biological control.

This species was already known from Vietnam and reported locally as a BCA from earlier survey work ( Nguyen and De Clercq 2018) though no measurements were provided. Measurements are given here in table 2 for females and males and compared with those obtained from specimens collected in other countries of Asia.

All measurements collected during this study match well with most of the previous measurements, especially with measurements of specimens from Thailand.