Neoseiulus comitatus (De Leon)

Palevsky, Eric, Gal, Shira & Ueckermann, Edward A., 2009, Phytoseiidae from date palms in Israel with descriptions of two new taxa and a key to the species found on date palms worldwide (Acari: Mesostigmata), Journal of Natural History 43 (27 - 28), pp. 1715-1747 : 1726-1727

Neoseiulus comitatus (De Leon)

Cydnodromus comitatus De Leon 1962, p. 17 . Neoseiulus comitatus ; Muma et al. 1970, p. 108; Chant and McMurtry, 2007, p. 25. Amblyseius scyphus Schuster and Pritchard 1963, p. 274 ; Tuttle and Muma 1973, p. 20.

Material examined

One female from Setaria macrostachya H.B.K., Portal, Arizona, USA , 30 August 1969, D.M. Tuttle. This species is not yet known from Israel .

Diagnosis

Female. Dorsal shield reticulated with all setae smooth, except for S4, S5, Z4 and Z5, most lateral setae twice or more the length of the dorsocentral setae. Sternal and genital shields smooth, ventrianal shield apparently smooth on anterior half, with few striations, but reticulated posterior to setae JV2; a pair of small preanal pores posteromesad of JV2. Opisthogaster with six pairs of platelets, two pairs of metapodal shields, a slender platelet between genital and ventrianal shields and four pairs of smooth setae, except for JV5, which are serrated. Peritremes extend to level of setae j1. Calyx of spermatheca bowl-shaped with no stalk between calyx and nodular atrium. Fixed cheliceral digit with six teeth and movable digit with one tooth. Leg IV with one long macroseta on basitarsus. Chaetotaxy of genu II 2-2/0, 2/0-1 and genu III 1-2/1, 2/0-1.

This definition is based on an identified specimen and the description of De Leon (1962).

Remarks

This species was described from Andropogon glomeratus near Miami, Florida, USA. It was also reported from a wide range of grasses from California, New Mexico, New York and Arizona ( Schuster and Pritchard 1963; Tuttle and Muma 1973). Gilstrap et al. (1979) found this species associated with O. pratensis on sorghum in West Texas. Pickett and Gilstrap (1984) collected it from Sorghum halepense (Johnson grass) infested with Petrobia latens (Muller) and Gispert et al. (2001) found it in association with O. pratensis on C. dactylon in date palm orchards in the Coachella Valley, southern California; in the laboratory this predator fed on O. pratensis .

Species group cucumeris , species subgroup paraki Chant and McMurtry