Phylogeny of Calvittacus Revealing a New Species from China (Acari: Eriophyidae).

Abstract

Simple SummaryEriophyoid mites (Eriophyoidea) are strictly phytophagous, consisting of over 5000 extant species, in which many species are pests. The genus Calvittacus includes only four species and is endemic in the Oriental Region. In this study, we combined morphological characters and molecular approaches to delimitate the Calvittacus species and recovered one new species, Calvittacus spectabilus sp. nov. The new species is vagrant on lower leaf surface, causing no apparent symptom to the host plant.Eriophyoid mites (Eriophyoidea) are distributed worldwide and are the largest superfamily in the Acari. After over one and a half centuries of field surveys, regional fauna of eriophyoid mites remains unclear. The genus Calvittacus Xue, Song & Hong 2006 is endemic in the Oriental Region, including four species—C. chenius Xue, Wang, Song & Hong, 2009; C. mollissimus Han, Xue & Hong, 2017; C. regiae Xue, Song & Hong 2006; and C. swidanus Song, Xue & Hong, 2009. In this study, we describe one new species, Calvittacus spectabilus sp. nov., collected on Bougainvillea spectabilis (Nyctaginaceae) from China (the Oriental Region). Phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial COI barcode sequences confirmed the C. spectabilus sp. nov., coinciding with the morphological delimitation. We further discussed the potential distribution of the Calvittacus species and underlined the integrative approaches in eriophyoid mite delimitation.