Cecidophyes digephyrus Keifer, 1966

Wang, Guo-Quan, Wei, Sui-Gai & Yang, Ding, 2012, A new genus, two new species and a new record of subfamily Cecidophyinae (Acari, Eriophyidae) from China, ZooKeys 180, pp. 9-18 : 10-11

Cecidophyes digephyrus Keifer, 1966 rec. n.

Diagnosis.

Body fusiform. Prodorsal shield with frontal lobe present; median, admedian lines and submedian lines complete, connected with three transverse lines forming network; scapular tubercles and setae absent. Coxisternal plates sculptured with lines. Legs with normal segments and usual setae, tarsal empodium entire 6-rayed, tarsal solenidion knobbed. Dorsal opisthosoma evenly rounded, dorsal annuli 62-68, with elongated microtubercles; ventral annuli 62-68, with rounded microtubercles, setae h1 absent. Female genital near coxisternal plates, coverflap with two rows of ridges.

Material examination.

10 females, Qingliangfeng National Nature Reserve, Lin’an City (30°10'N, 119°07'E), Zhejiang Province, China, 24. VII. 2007, from Quercus sp. ( Fagaceae ), collected by Guo-Quan Wang, mounted on individual slide.

Distribution.

USA, China (Zhejiang).

Relation to host.

The mites are vagrants on the surfaces of the leaves, no visible damage seen.

Remarks.

Up to date, nine species of Cecidophyes have been known infesting Quercus spp.: Cecidophyes caliquerci (Keifer, 1944) infesting Quercus lobata Nee and Quercus marilandica Muen., Cecidophyes digephyrus Keifer, 1966 infesting Quercus vaccinifolia Kell., Cecidophyes lyrata Keifer, 1959 infesting Quercus lyrata Walt., Cecidophyes pusilla Keifer, 1962 infesting Quercus falcata Michx, Cecidophyes quercialbae Keifer, 1959 infesting Quercus alba L., Cecidophyes querciphagus (Keifer, 1939) infesting Quercus sp., Cecidophyes reticulatus Livshitz, Mitrofanov et Vasil’yeva, 1979 infesting Quercus pubescens Willd., C. tampae Keifer, 1966 infesting Quercus virginiana and Cecidophyes tristernalis (Nalepa, 1898) infesting Quercus cerris L. Among them, only one species, Cecidophyes tampae occurred in China. Cecidophyes digephyrus is second Cecidophyes species from China ( Keifer 1939, 1944, 1959a, b, 1962, 1966; Livshitz et al. 1979; Nalepa 1898; Xue et al. 2009).