Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) haramotoi Prasad, 1968

Ma, Min, Fan, Qing-Hai & Zhang, Zhi-Qiang, 2019, Phytoseiid mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) of the Cook Islands, Zootaxa 4646 (3), pp. 527-540 : 537-538

Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) haramotoi Prasad, 1968

Typhlodromus haramotoi Prasad, 1968: 1370 .

Amblydromella haramotoi . — Moraes et al., 1986: 163.

Amblydromella (Amblydromella) haramotoi . — Denmark & Welbourn, 2002: 307.

Diagnosis. Female: dorsal idiosomal shield oval, with a waist at R1 level, bearing light striae and fish-scales, muscle marks between j3 and Z4; bearing 18 pairs of setae, smooth. Sternal shield smooth, bearing three pairs of setae and two pairs of lyrifissures, st4 and a pair of lyrifissures on small platelets. Epigynal shield smooth. Peritremes extending to bases of j1. Ventrianal shield wider than epigynal shield, inverted trapezoidal, with a waist on JV3 level, longer than wide; smooth, bearing four pairs of pre-anal setae, solenostomes crescent-shaped, posteromediad of JV2. Four pairs of setae on soft cuticle surrounding ventrianal shield. Calyx of spermathecal apparatus membranous, saccular, basal half with lighter sclerotisation than elsewhere. Cheliceral movable digit with three teeth, fixed digit with five teeth. Legs I and III each with a macroseta on genu; leg IV with four apically expanded macrosetae.

Specimen examined. Rarotonga: Tevas Villa, 13 females, 5 deutonymphs, 1 protonymph, 1 larva, ex. palm leaves, 23 October 2017; 4 females, ex balloon vine ( Cardiospermum grandiflorum ) leaves, 24 October 2017, same location; Ministry of Agriculture ( MOA) garden , 7 females, ex. Sapodilla sp. leaves and twigs, 23 October 2017; ( MOA) 1 female, ex. lemon ( Citrus limon ) leaves, 24 October 2017; 1 female, 1 deutonymph, Chinese hibiscus ( Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ), 24 October 2017; all collected by Q.-H. Fan.

Remarks. This species was originally described from mango in Hawaii ( Prasad 1968). It is also known from Australia ( Schicha & McMurtry 1986). Prasad (1968) described the species from Hawaii having one tooth on the fixed digit and two teeth on the movable digit. Schicha (1986) found this species from Australia and thought the Australian specimens generally agreed with the holotype, except the chelicerae, which have three distal and two proximal teeth on the fixed digit and two teeth on the movable digit. Our specimens also have five teeth on fixed digit but have three teeth on movable digit. We also found that the size of S5 is variable among specimens, from one third of S4 to as long as S4. It is now recorded from the Cook Islands for the first time.