Quadracus urticarius ( Canestrini & Massalongo 1893 )

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 : 62

Quadracus urticarius ( Canestrini & Massalongo 1893)

Quadracus urticae Keifer 1944

Type host and locality. Urtica dioica L. ( Urticaceae ), Italy.

Distribution. Widespread in Europe, and also recorded from the USA ( Keifer 1944).

Relation to the host. Vagrant inhabiting the thick hairs on the under surface of leaves. No host symptoms were observed in the population from Brockfield.

Collection details. England, North Yorkshire, York, Warthill, Brockfield (53° 59ʹ 12.48ʺ N, 0° 59ʹ 24.72ʺ W), high numbers on U. dioica , collected by the author, 14.vii.2010.

Discussion. This species was listed from Britain by Robbins (1997) in the 'Notes on species not accepted' section and stated "Mites undoubtedly occur on nettles, but have not yet been identified". The finding at Brockfield, therefore, is the first confirmed record of this species in Britain.