Eriophyidae

Navia, Denise, Duarte, Mercia Elias & Flechtmann, Carlos H. W., 2021, Eriophyoid mites (Acari: Prostigmata) from Brazil: an annotated checklist, Zootaxa 4997 (1), pp. 1-152 : 39-40

Eriophyidae , Aberoptinae

093 Cisaberoptus kenyae Keifer, 1966a: 1 .

Previous assignment.

Aceria kenyae ( Keifer, 1966a)

Type host. Mangifera indica L. ( Anacardiaceae )

Type locality. Kitambala , Kenya .

Reports in Brazil. Locality not informed ( Rossetto et al. 1969); Teotônio Vilela (09°54’09”S, 36°23’43”W) (in this paper, specimens deposited at the Collection of Plant Mites, Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology), Alagoas; Brasília ( Navia & Flechtmann 2000b) , Distrito Federal; Recife (08°10’52”S, 34°54’47”W) ( Vasconcelos et al. 2005), Sirinhaém (08°35’27”S, 35°06’58”W) ( Vasconcelos et al. 2005), Pernambuco; Teresina ( Navia & Flechtmann 2000b), Piauí; Bom Jardim (07°47’45”S, 35°35’14”W) ( Vasconcelos et al. 2005), Rio de Janeiro; Mossoró ( Navia & Flechtmann 2000b), Rio Grande do Norte; Campinas ( Rossetto 1972), São Paulo.

Relationship to host plant. Mites colonies are found under a grayish, waxy substance (white wax nests) on the upper side of leaves, apparently produced by the mites ( Navia & Flechtmann 2000b). Previous publications referred to the possibility that this mite had a mining habit, introducing itself under the epidermis of the upper surface of the leaves ( Jeppson et al. 1975).

Remarks. Cisaberoptes kenyae has been considered as a deutogyne form ( Amrine et al. 2003; Navia & Flechtmann 2000b) to which the protogyne and male would be a typical Aceria ( Hassan & Keifer 1978; Navia & Flechtmann 2000b). Amrine et al. (2003) disagreed in using the deutogyne or other alternate form of the female for making generic assignments and reassigned C. kenyae to Aceria . However, after subsequent collections in South Africa by Dr. P. Chetverikov, the male of the supposed Cisaberoptes deutogyne was found for the first time and thus the taxon C. kenyae is restored to a valid status, since both male and female forms were found (J.W. Amrine Jr., personal communication). Since C. kenyae and Aceria (previously supposed to be the protogyne form) male and female forms co-habit in colonies under the white wax on the upper surface of mango leaves two hypothesis could be raised: i) Aceria forms constitute another species, an inquiline species, since C. kenyae is the species that builds the wax nest; ii) both Cisaberoptes and Aceria females and males constitute alternate forms of the same species. One example of this was reported by Britto et al. (2008) for A. inusitata , whose colonies are also found under a wax nest on C. echinata upper leaf surfaces, and was also considered as a deuterogynous species with an Aberoptus -like form and with dimorphic males. These authors reported that just the deutogyne builds the nests and afterwards protogynes appear in the colony. Further molecular characterization and biological studies would clarify this doubt related to C. kenyae .

Type host plants status. Exotic fruit tree of major economic importance, widely cultivated mainly in tropical areas of the country ( Lorenzi et al. 2006). Mango is of great economic importance for Brazil, due to high domestic consumption, as well as the high export rate. This fruit is still the most exported fruit by Brazil, and is consumed both fresh and processed in the form of pulps and juices. Though being produced in the entire national territory, mango plantations are mostly concentrated in the Northeast ( Kist et al. 2018).