Bdellodes hessei (Womersley)

Halliday, R. B., 2005, Predatory mites from crops and pastures in South Africa: potential natural enemies of redlegged earth mite Halotydeus destructor (Acari: Penthaleidae), Zootaxa 1079, pp. 11-64 : 25

Bdellodes hessei (Womersley)

Scirus hessei Womersley, 1933a: 111 .

Bdellodes hessei: Meyer & Ryke, 1959a: 379 ; Atyeo, 1963b: 181; Wallace & Mahon, 1976: 82.

Specimens examined: Site 94­1, 2 males, 1 N; Site 94­3, 4 N; Site 94­5, 1 N; Site 94­7, 2 males; Site 94­11, 1 female, 2 males, 2 N; Site 94­13, 1 female, 3 males, 14 N; Site 94­16, 1 female, 3 males, 1 N; Site 94­17, 1 N; Site 94­19, 2 N; Site 94­20, 1 N; Site 94­27, 1 male, 1N; Site 94­31, 1 male, 1 N; Site 94­33, 2 males; Site 94­35, 1 N; Site 99­9, 1 male; Site 99­19, 1 female; Site 99­20, 1 male; Site 99­22, 1 female; Site 99­23, 1 female; Site 99­25, 1 male; Site 99­26, 3 females; Site 99­27, 1 N; Site 99­29, 1 female, 1 male; Site 2000­1, 11 females, 7 males; Site 2000­4, 1 male; Site 2000­8, 1 male, 1 N; Site 2000­9, 1 female; Site 2000­10, 1 female; Site 2000­11, 1 N; Site 2000­13, 1 female; Site 2000­19, 1 female; Site 2000­20, 4 females; 2000­21, 1 male; Site 2000­24, 2 females; Site 2000­26, 1 male; Site FT204­13, Malmsbury, 28 July 1965, M. M. H. Wallace, 2 females; Site FT204­19, Caledon, 29 July 1965, M. M. H. Wallace, pasture, 1 female, 1 male; Site FT204­ 23, 14 miles west of Swellendam, 29 July 1965, M. M. H. Wallace, 2 females, 1 N; Site FT204­28, Albertinia, 30 July 1965, M. M. H. Wallace, pasture, 1 female; Site FT204­ 30, Robertson, 30 July 1965, M. M. H. Wallace, 5 females; Site FT204­31, Worcester, 30 July 1965, M. M. H. Wallace, pasture, 4 females, 3 males; Firgrove, April 1965, M.C. Walters, pasture, 2 females, 4 males; Stellenbosch, 27 August 1967, M. C. Walters, capeweed in vineyard, 1 female, 1 male; Bathurst, Jan 1965, P. Graham, grassland, 1 female.

Bdellodes hessei was described from Stellenbosch ( Womersley, 1933a), is found throughout Cape Province ( Wallace & Mahon, 1976), and is described as the best known species of Bdellidae in South Africa ( Meyer et al., 1973). In the present survey it was found to be widespread but never abundant. It feeds on Collembola , and appears to have been accidentally introduced into Australia, where it occurs around the city of Perth ( Wallace & Mahon, 1976). B. hessei has been found associated with RLEM on vegetables in the Western Cape Province ( Meyer, 1996), and may be of some value as a predator.