Neoseiulus gracilis (Muma)

Lofego, Antonio Carlos, Barbosa, Marina Ferraz De Camargo, Demite, Peterson Rodrigo & Moraes, Gilberto José De, 2024, Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) of the subfamily Amblyseiinae from Brazil, Zootaxa 5439 (1), pp. 1-306 : 207-208

Neoseiulus gracilis (Muma) ( Figure 145)

Cydnodromus gracilis Muma, 1962: 9 .

Neoseiulus gracilis .— Muma et al., 1970: 104; Moraes et al., 1986: 81, 1997: 321, 2004b: 122; Chant & McMurtry, 2003a: 35, 2007: 29; Stathakis et al., 2013: 564; Silva et al., 2016: 1138.

Amblyseius (Neoseiulus) atrii Karg, 1989b: 116 (synonymy according to Moraes et al., 1997: 321).

Neoseiulus atrii .— Chant & McMurtry, 2003a: 21, 2007: 25; Moraes et al., 2004b: 104.

Specimens measured. PE (5).

Dorsal shield of female mostly smooth, with scant anterolateral striae, 316 (311–324) long and 187 (184–189) wide. Setal lengths: j1 12 (12–13), j3 18 (16–18), j4 16 (15–16), j5 16, j6 17 (15–18), J2 19 (17–19), J5 11 (11–13), z2 18 (17–19), z4 18 (16–18), z5 16 (16–17), Z1 19 (17–19), Z4 25 (25–26), Z5 27 (25–30), s4 20 (19–22), S2 22 , S4

19 (17–21), S5 19 (17–22), r3 11 (10–11) and R1 13 (12–15). Peritreme extending to level of j1. Distances between st1–st3 62 (57–68), st2–st2 64 (62–65), st5–st5 56 (54–59). Ventrianal shield 107 (100–116) long, 89 (86–95) wide at level of Zv2 and 70 (65–76) wide at anus level. Spermathecal calyx cup-shaped, 11 (11–13) long; atrium nodular, forked at junction with major duct. Fixed cheliceral digit 26 (25–27) long, with five teeth; movable digit 30 (29–31) long, with one tooth. Leg macrosetae absent .

Distribution in Brazil. Alagoas ( Silva et al., 2016), Bahia (Lawnson-Balagbo et al., 2008), Paraíba ( Lawson-Balagbo et al., 2008), Pernambuco ( Moraes et al., 1997) and Tocantins ( Azevedo et al., 2020).

Distribution elsewhere. Cuba, Saint Lucia, USA and Venezuela.

Remarks. The measurements are similar to those of the redescription of N. gracilis by Moraes et al. (1997), except for the length of the spermathecal calyx, about half as long in the specimens measured.