A world review of the pyri species group in the genus Typhlodromus Scheuten (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Abstract

The pyri species group in the genus Typhlodromus Scheuten is proposed to accommodate species characterized primarily by the presence of setae S2 and S4 and the absence of S5 of the S-series on the opisthoscutum. There are at present 18 species in this group: T. leptodactylus Wainstein, T. magdalenae Pritchard and Baker, T. corticis Herbert, T. andrei Karg, T. griekwensis Schultz, T. atticus Swirski and Ragusa, T. baccettii Lombardini, T. pyri Scheuten, T. tubifer Wainstein, T. klimenkoi Kolodochka, T. tiliae Oudemans, T. setubali Dosse, T. cotoneastri Wainstein, T. athiasae Porath and Swirski, T. laurae Arutunjan, T. exhilaratus Ragusa, T. phialatus Athias-Henriot, and T. ernesti Ragusa and Swirski. Four subspecies also are proposed: Typhlodromus athiasae athiasae Porath and Swirski stat. nov., Typhlodromus athiasae perbibus Wainstein and Arutunjan stat. nov., Typhlodromus exhilaratus exhilaratus Ragusa stat. nov., and Typhlodromus exhilaratus americanus subsp. nov. Typhlodromus pritchardi Arutunjan and T. vepallidus (Koch) are designated as species inquirendae because of insufficient information on their identities. The identity and status of T. pyri, the type species of the genus Typhlodromus, is reviewed. The following new synonymies are proposed: T. rodovae Wainstein and Arutunjan as a junior synonym of T. corticis; T. helenae Schicha and Dosse and T. oligadenus Athias-Henriot as junior synonyms of T. baccettii; T. ajsel Abbasova as a junior synonym of T. tubifer; T. siwa El Badry, T. hellenicus Swirski and Ragusa, and T. perbibus Wainstein and Arutunjan as junior synonyms of T. athiasae; and T. laurentii Ragusa and Swirski as a junior synonym of T. setubali. The group is defined and a key to and descriptions of the adult females of the species and subspecies are provided.