Daidalotarsonemus and Excelsotarsonemus species (Acari: Tarsonemidae) found in shaded cacao plantations in Brazil, with a description of a new species

ABSTRACT

Mites of the family Tarsonemidae (Acari: Prostigmata) exhibit a great diversity of feeding habits including fungivorous, algivorous, plant feeders, and predatory of other mites, as parasitoids and parasites are kinds of symbionts of other insects. They also have a considerable diversity of morphological structures, including the shape and structure of the mouthparts and specialized tactile organs, particularly the setae on the body and legs. The Atlantic Forest remnant is considered to be a very diverse tropical biota. Samples were collected on Theobroma cacao and Artocarpus heterophyllus trees in cabruca agroforest systems located in Ilhéus, Bahia State, Brazil. A new species, Excelsotarsonemus cabrucae Sousa, Lofego & Ochoa, sp. n. is described and illustrated. Six Daidalotarsonemus and three Excelsotarsonemus species were identified in the same area. A key to the species of Daidalotarsonemus of Brazil and a key to the species of Excelsotarsonemus of the world are presented. The findings emphasize the importance of conducting mite surveys in rainforests to better understand the mite diversity which inhabits this biome.http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:15D43DCE-E281-456F-B218-6F0947B6EA04

KEYWORDS:

• Atlantic Forest
• cabruca
• taxonomy
• systematic
• Tarsonemoidea

Acknowledgements

The authors thank “Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia” (FAPESB) and “Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior” (CAPES) for the scholarship to the first author. The authors thank “Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo” (FAPESP) for the financial support to the second author (Procs. 2015/19867–0 and 2016/16779–5). A.C. Lofego received a research productivity fellowship from CNPq (Proc. no. 304562/2015–7). The authors specially thank Lucas Ribeiro and Larissa Simões (“Centro de Microscopia Eletronica” (CME), Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC)) for their technical support of the SEM; Debra Creel and Andrew Ulsamer (SEL-USDA) for their assistance with references and collection material; Dr Gregory Evans (APHIS – USDA) for the revision of the manuscript; and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), National Agricultural Library (NAL), Systematic Entomology Laboratory (SEL-USDA) for their support with specimens, references, and equipment. The mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the USDA, UESC, and UNESP; USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia (FAPESB) [BOL0608/2015]; Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) [2015/19867–0,2016/16779–5]; CNPq [304562/2015–7]; Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) [88881.132452/2016–01].