Neoseiulus paspalivorus, Muma and Denmark, 1970

Kreiter, S., Mailloux, J., Tixier, M. - S., Le Bellec, F., Douin, M., Guichou, S. & Etienne, J., 2013, New Phytoseiid Mites Of The French West Indies, With Description Of A New Species, And New Records (Acari: Mesostigmata), Acarologia 53 (3), pp. 285-303 : 298-299

Neoseiulus paspalivorus (De Leon)

Typhlodromus paspalivorus De Leon, 1957: 143 Neoseiulus paspalivorus Muma and Denmark, 1970: 110 ; Moraes et al., 2000: 248.

Amblyseius paspalivorus Schicha, 1981: 210 .

The biology of this species was only recently studied. It seems to be common on various herbaceous plants ( Moraes et al., 1986) and could be a Gondwanian species because of its currently known area of distribution: Caribbean, India, Oriental region and Africa (Ueckermann and Lawson- Balagbo, pers. comm.). This species predominates in the dry areas of states of CearAE and Pernambuco in Brazil on coconuts ( Lawson-Balagbo et al., 2008a). This species thrived on the coconut eriophyid, Aceria guerreronis Keifer as primary food source resulting in shorter developmental time, higher ovipositon rate and higher intrinsic rate of increase than on any other diet ( Lawson-Balagbo et al., 2007). Neoseiulus paspalivorus is dorso-ventrally flattened giving it an advantage in accessing the area under the bracts ( Lawson-Balagbo et al., 2008b). This species is thus cited as a promising candidate for the biological control of the coconut eriophyid (Lawson- Balagbo et al., 2008a). This latter pest was recently introduced in Sri Lanka and southern India where it is causing considerable damage to coconut. Neoseiulus paspalivorus was found only on coconut in the area of production and on fruits, in association with A. guerreronis ( Fernando et al., 2003; Moraes et al., 2004a). Its presence on coconut in French West Indies contaminated by A. guerreronis is thus not surprising. The specimens collected were found very close from coconuts.

Previous Records — Guadeloupe ( Moraes et al., 2000), India and Sri Lanka ( Fernando et al., 2003; Moraes et al., 2004a), Jamaica, Philippines, USA (Florida) ( Moraes et al., 2004b), Cuba ( Cabrera et al., 2008), USA Florida ( Muma and Denmark, 1970), Brazil ( Lawson-Balagbo et al., 2008a).

Specimens examined — Guadeloupe, Basse- Terre, Vieux-Habitants, Station Le Bouchu du CIRAD, 16°03’N, 61°45’W, alt. 21 m, 2 ♀ collected on various herbaceous plants covering the soil of an experimental citrus crop ( Alysicarpus vaginalis , Chloris inflata , Cleome rutidosperma , Dicanthium annulatum , Echinochloa colona , Vernonia cinerea ), Mailloux coll., April to December 2008.

Remarks — the measurements and description of the specimens collected fit very well those given by Moraes et al. (2000).