Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) intercalaris Livshitz & Kuznetsov, 1972

HamadiK, Ali & BarbarK, Ziad, 2024, New records of mites (Acari: Mesostigmata, Sarcoptiformes, Trombidiformes) from Hama Province, Syria, Acarologia 64 (3), pp. 907-918 : 912

Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) intercalaris Livshitz & Kuznetsov

Three females of this species were collected from Q. calliprinos at Al-Hekr in November 2023

and June 2024. Additionally, one female was collected from O. europaea , and four females were collected from S. officinalis at Ain Halakeem in July 2023 and June 2024, respectively.

This species has already been recorded in Latakia governorate, Syria ( Dayoub et al. 2024). Remarks — Specimens collected from S. officinalis and O. europaea have preanal pores and two pairs of setae on sternal shield, except for one female in which the posterior margin of this shield is unclear. Specimens collected from Q. calliprinos also have two pairs of setae on the sternal shield but lack preanal pores, and one specimen has only two pairs of preanal setae instead of three (with ZV2 off the ventrianal shield). Variations in the shape of spermathecae were also observed even among the specimens collected from the same host plant, ranging from a bell-shaped calyx with an incorporated atrium to a saccular or conus-shaped calyx with a short or indiscernible neck ( Figure 1 ). These observations suggest that the collected specimens could represent two different species, though the possibility of synonymy with closely related species [T. (A.) invectus Chant and T. (A.) sternlichti Swirski and Amitai] cannot be excluded, and further investigations are necessary for several reasons. Firstly, a previous study ( Dayoub et al. 2024) noted the difficulty in comparing this species with the holotype of T. (A.) invectus, which is in poor condition. However, the redescriptions of T. (A.) invectus ( Abbasova 1970 ; Swirski et al. 1998) indicate the presence of two pairs of setae on sternal shield. Secondly, Abbasova (1972) and Swirski and Amitai (1997) suggested that T. (A.) invectus and T. (A.) sternlichti are synonyms. In addition, Swirski et al. (1998) excluded T. (A.) sternlichti from their key for Phytoseiidae and noted variations in the shape of spermathecae of T. (A.) invectus, similar to those observed in our specimens. Thirdly, the posterior margin of the sternal shield is not always visible and easily identifiable in some specimens, making it difficult to determine whether the sternal shield has two or three pairs of setae, as observed in one specimen in our study and one by Çobanoğlu (1993). Finally, molecular investigations and cross-breeding experiments between populations of the three species collected from host plants (with Quercus

spp. being common hosts) should be conducted to verify this hypothesis.

Figures

Figure 1 Variations in the shape of spermathecae of Typhlodromus(Anthoseius) intercalarisof specimens collected fromStyrax officinalis (A–D), Olea europaea (E) andQuercus calliprinos (F–J).