Aculus fockeui (Nalepa & Trouessart, 1890)

Lotfollahi, Parisa, Irani-Nejad, Karim Haddad & Lillo, Enrico De, 2014, Eriophyoid mites (Acari: Trombidiformes: Eriophyoidea) of Rosales trees in Iran: two new species and three new records, Zootaxa 3861 (1) : -

Aculus fockeui (Nalepa & Trouessart, 1890)

( Fig. 3 F)

Type data. Prunus domestica L. ( Rosaceae ); Lille, France, was the presumed locality, based on the working place of Trousseart ( Amrine & Stasny 1994).

Relation to the host plant. This mite species induces yellow leaf spots in spring, upper longitudinal curls on young leaves, silvering on older leaves and mottling ( Keifer 1975). Differences in symptoms can be observed on different host plant species.

Geographic distribution. Africotropical, Australian, Indomalayan, Nearctic, Neotropical, Palaearctic.

Distribution and host plants in Iran. 24 females and 5 males from Azarshahr (37°46'24"N, 45°57'20"E), 1,371 m above sea level, on Prunus amygdalus Stokes (Rosaceae) , 2 August 2011; on Malus domestica Borkh (Rosaceae) : 2 females and 2 males, from Kandovan village, Osku (38°01'24.7''N, 46°25'26''E), 1,655 m above sea level, 1 August 2011; 16 females and 7 males, from Azarshahr (37°46'24"N, 45°57'20"E), 1,371 m above sea level, 2 August 2011. All coll. P. Lotfollahi.

Remarks. This is the first record of A. fockeui from Iran. There were some differences found in the Iranian specimens when compared with Keifer’s description in Baker et al. (1996) such as in the number of dorsal semi annuli (30–37 in Iranian specimens versus 23–30) and ventral semiannuli (66–82 in Iranian specimens versus 50–53), number of striae on the female genital coverflap (10–12 in Iranian specimens) and length of coxal seta 3a (26–32 in Iranian specimens).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Schematic drawings (all originally drawn by Lotfollahi from specimens collected in Iran) of the prodorsal shield for: A. Aceria mori (Keifer, 1939); B. Eriophyes similis (Nalepa, 1890); C. Eriophyes pyri (Pagenstecher, 1857); D. Calepitrimerus baileyi Keifer, 1938; E. Phyllocoptes abaenus Keifer, 1940; F. Aculus fockeui (Nalepa & Trouessart, 1890). Scale bar: 10 Μm.