ACAROLOGIA
A quarterly journal of acarology, since 1959
Publishing on all aspects of the Acari
All information:
http://www1.montpellier.inra.fr/CBGP/acarologia/
[email protected]
Acarologia is proudly non-profit,
with no page charges and free open access
Please help us maintain this system by
encouraging your institutes to subscribe to the print version of the journal
and by sending us your high quality research on the Acari.
Subscriptions: Year 2017 (Volume 57): 380 €
http://www1.montpellier.inra.fr/CBGP/acarologia/subscribe.php
Previous volumes (2010-2015): 250 € / year (4 issues)
Acarologia, CBGP, CS 30016, 34988 MONTFERRIER-sur-LEZ Cedex, France
The digitalization of Acarologia papers prior to 2000 was supported by Agropolis Fondation under
the reference ID 1500-024 through the « Investissements d’avenir » programme
(Labex Agro: ANR-10-LABX-0001-01)
Acarologia is under free license and distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons-BY-NC-ND which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
A NEW SPECIES OF TUCKERELLA (ACARINA
FROM INDIA
TUCKERELLIDAE)
BY
V. PRASAD,
Entomology Department, University of Agricultitral Sciences ,
Hebbal Camp·us, Bangalore-560024, Mysore State, India.
The members of the family Tuckerellidae are rare phytophagous mites that feed mainly
on the stem of different plants. Titckerella pavoniformis (Ewing) and T. ornata (Tucker) are
known to feed on the stem of papaya and hibiscus plants. T . nilotica Zaher and Rasmy is collected
from orange trees and probably feeds on fruits and buds. T. fiabellifera Miller is known from
a number of hast plants (MILLER 1964, and COLLYER 1969). Hovvever, T. spechtae Womersley
is known from Phyllota litter (WOMERSLEY 1957) and T. litoralis Collyer is collected from mass
sample (CüLLYER 1969).
No tuckerellid mite is reported from India prior to this report. Recently, a species of Tuckerella was collected from South India by the author during his survey on the plant feeding mites
of India. This species is reported here as new.
Tuckerella indica n. sp.
(Figs. l-6).
Diagnosis (Male) : vVith six pairs of very long caudal filamentous setae. The outer pair
of the last four hysterosomal setae palmate, subequal to and in a transverse line with inner pair.
Tarsi of legs III and IV each with a dorsal sensory rad (solenidion). Distal sensory rad on tarsus
of leg I shorter than the proximal sensory rad.
1v1 ale : Body elongate, aval, and red when alive. Idiosoma averages 240 fL long and 160 fL
wide. Dorsum reticulated and divided into propodosoma and hysterosoma and the latter into
metapodosoma and opisthosoma. Propodosoma with four pairs of dorsal palma te setae. Hysterosoma with 18 pairs of dorsal palmate setae born on lightly selesolized plates. Seven pairs
of dorsal hysterosomal setae located in two lateral rows, seven pairs in two anterior transverse
rows, two pairs in a semi circle, and two pairs of posteriormost setae in a transverse row. The
outer pair of last four palmate hysterosomal setae subequal to inner pair, all four setae round,
fan shaped and much smaller than anterior four hysterosomal setae. The posterior four pairs
of lateral hysterosomal setae large and well elongated than anterior lateral hysterosomal setae.
Six pairs of long, dorsal filamentous setae located at posterior end of opisthosoma on tubercles.
Two pairs of short, thin setae located in between bases of filamentous setae (Fig. l).
Acarologia, t. XV, fasc.
2,
1973.
-
238 -
3
2
1
4
FIGs. r-6. - tuckerella indica n. sp. (Male) : r) dorsal aspect of idiosoma; 2) anogenital area; 3) dorsal
aspect
leg
IV. of leg I ; 4) dorsal aspect of leg II ; 5) solenidion on tarsus of leg III ; 6) solenidion on tarsus of
-
239 -
Palps five segmented ; tarsus long, slender, thumb-like and with one stout terminal sensory
seta and three additional setae. The curved palpal claw shorter than tarsus. Chelicerae styliform.
Legs short and thick, leg I longest and heaviest, and leg IV shortest and thinnest of all.
Leg I with tvvo sonsory rods of which distal shorter than proximal rod (Fig. 3) . Tarsi of legs II-IV
with single sensory rod (Fig. 4-6). Tibia of leg I with a short sensory rod, none present
on tibia II-IV. Five pairs of setae located in anogenital area (Fig. 2). Shape of aedeagus not
visible.
Feniale : Unlmown.
Holotype: Single male, collected from wind tree (Casitarina), Loyolla College Campus, Madras,
Tamilnadu, 9 August r972, V. PRASAD (VP-72-80). It is deposited in U.S. National Museum,
Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
Paratype : Single male, with collection data as above. It is in the author's collection.
Remarks : T. indica n. sp. is close to T. nilotica Zaher and Rasmy (r969) and differs from
latter in the followings : the last four dorsal palmate hysterosomal setae in T. indica are not
leaf like, the distal sensory rod on tarsus of leg I is shorter than proximal rod, and tarsi of legs IIIV each passes single sensory rod.
SuMMARY.
A new species of plant feeding mite, Titckerella indica n. sp. (Acarina : Tuckerellidae), is
described from Casitarina sp. from Madras, India. Illustrations are also given.
REFERENCES
CoLLYER (E.), 1969. - Two species of Tuckerella (Acarina : Tuckerellidae) from New Zealand. - New
Zealand ]. Sei., 12 (4) : 8rr-814.
MILLER (L. W.), 1964. - A new species of Tuckerella (Acarina, Tetranychoidea, Tuckerellidae) from
Tasmania. - Papers and Proc. Roy. Soc. Tasmania, 98 : 79-84.
WüMERSLEY (H.), 1957· - A new species of Titckerella (Acarina, Tetranychoidea, Tuckerellidae) from
South Australia. - Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Australia, 80 : 73-75.
ZAHER (M. A.) and (A. H.) RASMY, 1969. - A new species of the genus Tuckerella from U.A.R. (Acarina,
Tuckei:ellidae). - Acarologia, 11 (4) : 730-732.