Abstract
Agistemus collyerae Gonzáles-Rodrigues (Stigmaeidae) is reported for the first time in South Africa on grapevines in the Western Cape Province. We investigate a possible introduction pathway of this mite as a contaminant on imported agricultural goods. Based on South African interception data, we report new country records of A. collyerae in the USA, Chile, Yemen, Spain and France. We re-describe it based on the South African specimens, including first-time descriptions of the male and deutonymph. Female specimens have shorter dorsal setae than those documented in the original descriptions, but we do not consider this enough evidence to justify a new species.
Highlights
Many mite species have been transported and introduced beyond their natural ranges, due in part to the ease with which they can accidentally be transported on internationally traded commodities (Navajas & Ochoa 2013)
The introduction pathways of Agistemus collyerae to South Africa were investigated by searching for records of mites detected on imported plant products
New species record: Agistemus collyerae This is the first report of Agistemus collyerae (Trombidiformes: Stigmaeidae) from grapevine in South Africa
Summary
Many mite species have been transported and introduced beyond their natural ranges, due in part to the ease with which they can accidentally be transported on internationally traded commodities (Navajas & Ochoa 2013). Many agricultural pest species have been introduced this way, but less is known about the introduction of non-native predators in agricultural systems (Palevsky et al 2013; Saccaggi et al 2016). We investigated the presence and identity of mites on agricultural imports to South Africa During this investigation, we noted differences in the specimens examined and found that the male and deutonymph of A. collyerae had not been described. (2018), Agistemus collyerae (Acari: Trombidiformes: Stigmaeidae) in South Africa: first record, introduction pathways and a re-description including additional life stages. Agistemus collyerae González-Rodriguez 1963 was described from New Zealand, where it is assumed to be native (González-Rodrigues 1963) It is recorded from Australia, Iran, Portugal, Turkey and Italy (Fan et al 2016). We re-describe the species based on South African specimens, including for the first time a description of the male and deutonymph
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