Tenuipalpus punicae Pritchard & Baker, 1958

Ueckermann, Edward A., Palevsky, Eric, Gerson, Uri, Recht, Eitan & Theron, Pieter D., 2018, The Tenuipalpidae (Acari: Trombidiformes) of Israel, Acarologia 58 (2), pp. 483-525 : 518

Tenuipalpus punicae Pritchard & Baker, 1958 ( Figure 27 )

Diagnosis (Female) — Dorsum medially and laterally reticulate; prodorsum with oblique striae and folds laterally; opisthosoma with longitudinal striae laterally. Prodorsal setae v2, sc1 minute and sc2 longer, lanceolate and serrate; dorsal opisthosomal setae c1, d1, e1, f2 present.; opisthosoma with dorsocentral setae c1, d1, e1 short and slightly serrate; lateral setae longer, weakly lanceolate and serrate; setae h2 flagelliform ( Fig 27A ). Venter mostly smooth with weak striae laterally and posteriorly ( Fig 27B ). Palp 3-segmented. Spermathecal duct narrows to form proximal constriction, prior to forming a membranous bulge and narrows again into a slender tube terminating into a small bulb distally ( Fig 27C ).

Hosts and localities — Reported from Punica granatum L. ( Lythraceae ) in Greece, India,

Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Spain, Turkey and Russia ( Pritchard & Baker, 1958; Wainstein, 1960;

Livschits & Mitrofanov, 1967; Hatzinikolis, 1986; Khanjani et al., 2013).

Symptoms — Serious pest of pomegranates ( Zaher & Yousef, 1972; Al-Gboory & El- Haidari, 1989) and is the prevalent species on pomegranates in Israel (Tselila Ben-David unpublished).

Figures

Figure 27 Tenuipalpus punicaePritchard & Baker – Female: A – dorsal view; B – opisthogaster; C – spermatheca.