Aceria exigua ( Liro 1940 )

Pye, Daniel R. L., 2012, New eriophyoid mites (Acari: Prostigmata: Eriophyoidea) in Britain: one new genus, four new species, 19 new records and two incursions, Zootaxa 3578, pp. 43-68 : 48

Aceria exigua ( Liro 1940)

Type host and locality. Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull ( Ericaceae ), Finland, Elima.

Distribution. England (recorded here), Finland and Sweden (op. cit.), and Russia (Chetverikov & Sukhareva 2010) [also from the Netherlands ( Ellis 2007), but the identification appears to have been made from observed host symptoms alone and no collection details were provided].

Relation to the host. Reported as causing witches’ brooms on C. vulgaris by Liro & Roivainen (1951). However, Chetverikov & Sukhareva (2010) stated that A. exigua does not cause witches’ broom damage, instead they recorded it as free-living.

Collection details. England, North Yorkshire, York, Strensall Common (54° 2ʹ 43.08ʺ N, 1° 0ʹ 36.36ʺ W), mid to low numbers on C. vulgaris , collected by C. Malumphy, 19.ix.2008; England, Dorset, Ashley Heath, mid to low numbers on C. vulgaris , collected by R. Whittaker (Plant Health and Seeds Inspector, Fera), 20.viii.2009. No host symptoms were observed on the plant material examined.

Discussion. This species was listed in the British plant gall keys provided by Stubbs (1986) and Redfern and Shirley (2002), but no collection details were provided. Furthermore, the British Plant Gall Society (BPGS) hold no records or collection details for this species (Janet Boyd, BPGS records manager, personal communication 2009). Therefore the findings of this species from Strensall Common and Ashley Heath are the first confirmed records of this species in Britain.