Abstract
The genus Brevipalpus (Tenuipalpidae) includes 291 described species commonly found in the tropical and subtropical regions. Morphological characters considered in the taxonomy of Brevipalpus species are difficult to discern, which often leads to erroneous identifications and the presence of cryptic species within species is suspected. New morphological characters are now considered relevant for identification of Brevipalpus species; among them, the morphology of the seminal receptacle (spermatheca) of the female insemination system. This feature has not been considered relevant until now; thus, there is little information about the insemination system in the available species descriptions. Hence, in the present study, ultrastructural details are provided for the insemination system in five species of Brevipalpus, representing different morphological groups. The seminal receptacle (spermatheca) and the insemination duct are illustrated using light, transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The spermatheca proved to have specific morphological features that can be useful for taxonomic purposes. On the other hand, its appearance within a population might be variable in a way that needs to be ascertained and evaluated.
Highlights
The genus Brevipalpus belongs to the family Tenuipalpidae (Acari: Prostigmata) and includes 291 described species (Mesa et al 2009; Castro et al 2019) commonly found in the tropical and subtropical regions
Females of the following species were investigated: Brevipalpus papayensis (Baker), B. obovatus, Brevipalpus yothersi (Baker), B. californicus and Brevipalpus tuberellus De Leon. All these species are considered reproduced parthenogenetically and, according to Baker and Tuttle (1987), B. yothersi and B. papayensis are representative of the morphological species group B. phoenicis; B.californicus of the B. californicus group; B. tuberellus of the B. cuneatus group; and B. obovatus of the B. obovatus group
In all species studied with Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) the long insemination duct begins at the copulatory pore (Fig. 2b, c) ventrally located of the anal canal (Fig. 2c) and dorsally of the vagina
Summary
The genus Brevipalpus belongs to the family Tenuipalpidae (Acari: Prostigmata) and includes 291 described species (Mesa et al 2009; Castro et al 2019) commonly found in the tropical and subtropical regions. This genus has great economic importance within the family, because some species were found to transmit phytopathogenic viruses such as Citrus leprosis virus C (CiLV-C), Coffee ringspot virus (CoRSV), Passion fruit green spot virus (PfGSV) and Orchid fleck virus (OFV) (Kitajima et al 2014). A revaluation of the status of Brevipalpus species has become necessary
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