New findings and information on the distribution of spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) on the Crimean Peninsula

Abstract

As a result of the original study, two species, Eurytetranychus recki Bagdasarian, 1948 from Eurytetranychini tribe and Eotetranychus thujae (McGregor, 1950) from Tetranychini tribe, are recorded for the Tetranychidae fauna of the Crimean Peninsula for the first time. In addition, 9 species previously known for the acarofauna of the region were detected: Amphitetranychus viennensis (Zacher, 1920); Amphitetranychus savenkoae (Reck, 1956); Oligonychus brevipilosus (Zacher, 1932); Oligonychus lagodechii Livshits et Mitrofanov, 1969; Oligonychus piceae (Reck, 1953); Oligonychus pini (Hirst, 1924); Oligonychus ununguis (Jacobi, 1905); Tetranycopsis horridus (Canestrini et Fanzago, 1876); Tetranycopsis matikashviliae Reck, 1953. The data on the distribution of these species and their host plants are provided. According to V.I. Mitrofanov et al. (1975, 1987) in this work it is accepted that O. pini is a valid species, because it well differentiates from O. ununguis by the following characters: on the palp tarsus of females and males, solenidion ( ω ) is noticeably thicker than the spines ( ul'ζ , ul"ζ ); in males, the hook of the aedeagus is elongated (almost 2 times longer than in O. ununguis ). Thus, the Tetranychidae fauna of the Crimea is currently represented by 60 species.