Padrões ecológicos da comunidade de ácaros em euforbiáceas de um fragmento de mata estacional semidecidual, no Estado de São Paulo

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Mites (Arachnida, Acari) on Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck orange trees in the state of Amazonas, Northern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Ocorrência e flutuação populacional de ácaros associados a seringais vizinhos de fragmentos de cerrado

The basic knowledge of the seasonal occurrence of mites can supply data for elaboration of programs of ecological management to be implanted with success in the future. The objective of this study was to determine the species richness and the seasonality of mites present in two areas of rubber tree crops neighboring to native areas in Itiquira, MT. Along one year, 25 quantitative samplings were accomplished in rubber tree crop neighboring to two fragments of Cerrado (Cerradao and Mata Riparia). There were registered 199,380 mites, of 48 species, belonging to 15 families. of those, 13 species are phytophagous, 18 predators and 17 mycophagous or of unknown alimentary habit. Three phytophagous species represented more than 97% of the mites collected: Phyllocoptruta seringueirae Feres (80.8%), Tenuipalpus heveae Baker (12.7%) and Calacarus heveae Feres (3.6%). Among the predators, the most abundant species were Agistemus sp., Scirula sp. and Euseius concordis (Chant). Twenty-eight species were common to both crops. The families that had the largest number of species collected in the neighboring area to Cerradao were Tydeidae (7), Tarsonemidae (6), Eriophyidae and Phytoseiidae (4), and in the area close to Mata Riparia, Tydeidae (9) and Phytoseiidae (8). The presence of vegetation near the crop should explain the great number of species of mites classified as accidental found in this study. The largest abundances and species richness occurred in the end of the rainy season and beginning of the dry season.

Mite (Acari; Arachnida) diversity of two native plants in fragments of a semideciduous seasonal forest in Brazil

Studies to determine mite species richness in natural environments are still scarce, and have been conducted mainly in tropical ecosystems. The aim of this study was to determine the species richness of mites on two common native plants in fragments of the semideciduous seasonal forest in the Northwest of São Paulo State, Brazil. In each of eight fragments, 10 specimens of Actinostemon communis (Euphorbiaceae) and 10 of Trichilia casaretti (Meliaceae) were selected and marked. In total, 124 species of mites belonging to 21 families were found on the two plants. Tarsonemidae had the highest diversity (34 species), followed by Phytoseiidae (31), Tetranychidae (9) and Tenuipalpidae (8). Species accumulation curves for the two sampled plants did not reach an asymptote, even with the large sampling effort. Hence, it is estimated that a greater sampling effort may lead to an increase in species richness compared with what was found in this study. The richness of this mite fauna suggests that preservation of these plant species is important to maintain the mite diversity in these forest fragments. © 2013 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Diversidade e sazonalidade da comunidade de ácaros em três clones de seringueira no sudeste do Estado da Bahia

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Ácaros associados à Jatropha spp. (Euphorbiaceae) no Brasil

Pós-graduação em Biologia Animal - IBILCE

Influência da vegetação nativa de Mata Atlântica sobre a ocorrência e distribuição de ácaros (Acari) da seringueira (Hevea brasiliensis Muell Arg.) no estado da Bahia

Pós-graduação em Biologia Animal - IBILCE

Mites (Acari) associated with three species of the genus jatropha (euphorbiaceae) in Brazil, with emphasis on jatropha curcas

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Mites (Arthropoda: Acari) associated with three species of the genus Jatropha (Euphorbiaceae) in Brazil, with emphasis on Jatropha curcas L.

The physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.) (Euphorbiaceae) has emerged as a new option in cultivation aimed at biodiesel production. In order to provide information that may be useful to further develop management plans for that specific crop, samples of mites were collected from cultured and wild J. curcas plants in various regions of the country and from two other species of the same genus, Jatropha gossypiifolia L. and Jatropha mollissima (Pohl) Baill. in the northeastern region of Brazil. Altogether 31 species belonging to 10 families were recorded. The family Phytoseiidae presented the largest number of species (17). Polyphagotarsonemus latus Banks (Tarsonemidae) was the most abundant species (8,503 specimens). A dichotomous key was prepared to identify all the sampled species. At least four mite species of the samples deserve attention as showing potential for being pests in the crops of J. curcas, Brevipalpus phoenicis, Brevipalpus obovatus, Polyphagotarsonemus latus and Tetranychus bastosi, the latter two often found in great abundance.

Mites on Annonaceae species in northeast Brazil and in the state of Para

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Phytophagous and fungivorous mites (Acari: Prostigmata, Astigmata) from Peru

This is an updated checklist of phytophagous and fungivorous mites from Peru (Prostigmata: Tetranychidae, Tarsonemidae, Tenuipalpidae, Tydeidae, Eriophyidae, Diptilomiopidae; Astigmata: Acaridae, Winterschmidtiidae). The data are mainly based on an extensive survey carried out in the Peruvian territory in 2006, as well as on the new records of mites from minor collections and previous records. In addition to the new data collection, the presence of predators associated with the phytophagous mites collected is noted.

How promising is Lasioseius floridensis as a control agent of Polyphagotarsonemus latus?

The blattisociid mite Lasioseius floridensis Berlese was found associated with the broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks), on gerbera leaves in Mogi das Cruzes, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Blattisociid mites are not common on aerial plant parts, except under high air humidity levels. Some Lasioseius species have been mentioned as effective control agents of rice pest mites, but nothing is known about the biology of L. floridensis. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the observed co-occurrence of L. floridensis and P. latus was just occasional or whether the latter could be important as food source for the former, assumed by laboratory evaluation of the ability of the predator to maintain itself, reproduce and develop on that prey. Biological parameters of L. floridensis were compared when exposed to P. latus and to other items as food. The study showed that mating is a pre-requisite for L. floridensis to oviposit and that oviposition rate was much higher on the soil nematode Rhabditella axei (Cobbold) (Rhabditidae) than on P. latus. Ovipositon on the acarid mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) was about the same as on P. latus, but it was nearly zero when the predator was fed the fungi Aspergillus flavus Link or Penicillium sp., or cattail (Typha sp.) pollen. Survivorship was higher in the presence of pollen and lower in the presence of A. flavus or Penicillium sp. than in the absence of those types of food. Life table parameters indicated that the predator performed much better on R. axei than on P. latus. To evaluate the potential effect of L. floridensis as predator of P. latus, complementary studies are warranted to determine the frequency of migration of L. floridensis to aerial plant parts, when predation on P. latus could occur.

Acaros fitofagos no Nordeste do Brasil.

Este trabalho apresenta as especies de Tetranychidae (18 especies), Tenuipalpidae (2 especies), Eriophyidae (3 especies)(, Rhyncaphytoptidae (1 especie) e Tarsonemidae (1 especie) coletadas no Nordeste. Apresenta tambem chaves para a separacao dos generos de Tetranychidae, Tenuipappidae e Eriphyidae encontrados, e dados sobre distribuicao e hospedeiros.