Phoretic invertebrates associated with Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Canarian date palm from southern Spain

Abstract

ABSTRACT Two species of nematodes (Mononchoides macrospiculum and Teratorhabditis synpapillata) and one species of mites (Trichouropoda sp.) are found associated with adult specimens and larval cocoons of the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Hexapoda: Coleoptera). Morphological, morphometrical and molecular studies of both nematode species show that they are very similar to the populations of these species examined from Italy. Additionally, the nematode T. synpapillata shows similarity to the Asian population, especially to that from India and Japan found in red palm weevil, showing some differences with respect to populations found in soil. According to this, some of the phoretic invertebrates attached to the red palm weevil may have come from southern Asia through Egypt, where this genus of mites is also found. Illustrations based on light and scanning electron microscopy are provided from all species examined, as well as phylogenetic trees based on 18S and 28S fragments of rDNA of the nematode species.