A new species of spider mite, Oligonychus palus sp. nov. (Prostigmata: Tetranychidae), from tropical Australia

Abstract  A new spider mite, Oligonychus palus sp. nov . , is described from banana in northern Australia. Comments are made about the validity of the subgenera within Oligonychus Berlese and the new species is compared with a similar Indian species O. sapienticolus Gupta.     

Revision of the Australasian genus Orussobaius Benson (Hymenoptera: Symphyta: Orussidae)

Abstract The Australasian genus Orussobaius Benson is revised. Seven species are recognised: Orussobaius paniculus sp. n. from Papua New Guinea, and six species from Australia: O. badius sp. n., O. caligneus sp. n., O. mesembrinus Benson, O. minutissimus sp. n., O. minutus Benson, and O. wilsoni Benson. Orussobaius normani Rayment (new synonymy) is removed from synonymy with O. wilsoni and treated as a junior synonym of O. minutus instead. With a body length of only 2 mm, O. minutissimus sp. n. is the smallest currently known sawfly species in the world. A key is provided and distribution maps are shown for all species. The genus Orussobaius is redefined on the basis of all species currently included.     

Spider-Mite Problems and Control in Taiwan

Problems with spider mites first appeared in Taiwan in 1958, eight years after the importation of synthetic pesticides, and the mites evolved into major pests on many crops during the 1980s. Of the 74 spider mite species recorded from Taiwan 10 are major pests, with Tetranychus kanzawai most important, followed by T. urticae, Panonychus citri, T. cinnabarinus, T. truncatus and Oligonychus litchii. Most crops suffer from more than one species. Spider mites reproduce year-round in Taiwan. Diapause occurs only in high-elevation areas. Precipitation is the most important abiotic factor restricting spider-mite populations. Control is usually accomplished by applying chemicals. Fifty acaricides are currently registered for the control of spider mites. Acaricide resistance is a serious problem, with regional variation in resistance levels. Several phytoseiid mites and a chrysopid predator have been studied for control of spider mites with good effect. Efforts to market these predators should be intensified so that biological control can be a real choice for farmers.     

Wild host plants of four spider mite species (Acari: Tetranychidae) infesting fruit crops in Okinawa

To determine the wild host plants of four major spider mite species infesting fruit crops grown in the subtropical Asian region, we collected and identified mites from non-crop plants throughout the islands of Okinawa, southwestern Japan. Although the two mango pests, Oligonychus coffeae and O. biharensis, are polyphagous, they did not share any wild host species in the field, indicating that their source plants are completely separate in Okinawa. Several major wild hosts were determined for Eutetranychus africanus, a pest of papaya and citrus. Its host range partially overlapped with that of O. biharensis. The citrus red mite, Panonychus citri, was very rare on non-crop plants in Okinawa, suggesting that it maintains its population mainly on the citrus trees in the area. These results are of great significance when considering vegetation control as part of the integrated management of these pest mites. During our survey, two non-pest species, Panonychus caglei (new to Japan) and Oligonychus gotohi (new to Okinawa), were also found.     

Notes on Australian Typhlodrominae (Acari: Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae), with Descriptions of Two New Species of Neoseiulella Muma from Tropical Rainforests in Far Northern Queensland

Neoseiulella is the most diverse of the six genera of the subfamily Typhlodrominae in Australia, but previously only a single species has been reported from the tropics. Herein, two new species, Neoseiulella eiko sp.n. and N. coreen sp.n., from tropical rainforest in far northern Queensland are described. These mites are the smallest known members of the genus, share a number of unusual character states, and are intermediate in morphology between the two currently recognised species groups. A synopsis of the current placement of Australian Typhlodrominae and a key to the adult females of the Australian genera are provided.     

Synopsis of Antitrogus Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthini)

Abstract The genus Antitrogus Burmeister is widely distributed in eastern Australia and, because some species are significant pests of sugarcane, pastures and pineapples, it has attracted considerable research interest. This paper reviews the systematics, biology, ecology and management of the genus. The morphology of the 22 known species is described and a further species, A. gubbi sp. n. from south-eastern Queensland which was previously confused with A. robertsi Britton, is described. These species clearly divide into two species-groups: (i) those from south-eastern Queensland, eastern New South Wales and south-eastern Australia, which sometimes have closely related species pairs; and (ii) a more diverse group of species from central and northern Queensland. The latter is linked to A. villosus Allsopp from western Victoria, and this may indicate that further species await discovery in western New South Wales. Known life cycles are of 1 or 2 years. Adults fly for short periods following rain in spring or summer and do not feed. Adult females tend to disperse poorly, and this, coupled with ephemeral and localised rainfall, has probably contributed to speciation. Larvae feed on the roots of grasses and other similar plants. Insecticides are widely used to control them in sugarcane, but are too expensive for use on pastures. Integrating new controls with an emphasis on cultural controls is seen as the best way of managing these pest species.     

Review of Australian Asperoseius Chant, Euseius Wainstein, Okiseius Ehara and Phytoscutus Muma (Acari: Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) with a key to the genera of Australian Amblyseiinae and descriptions of two new species

Previous workers have used a conservative generic classification of the subfamily Amblyseiinae that treated most Australian Phytoseiidae as species in the genus Amblyseius Berlese. However, this lumping masks the occurrence of a number of genera recognised overseas, including some that contain important biological control agents. In this review, a key to the genera of Australian Amblyseiinae is provided and the Australian species in four amblyseiine genera are reviewed and keyed. Asperoseius Chant is represented by a single known Australian species, A. australiensis Fain and Krantz collected from a Culicoides midge in South Australia. Six species of Euseius Wainstein are recognised in Australia, including four endemics: E. dowdi (Schicha), E. elinae (Schicha), E. neovictoriensis (Schicha), and E. victoriensis (Schicha), and two Asia–Pacific species: E. noumeae (Schicha) and E. ovalis (Evans). Okiseius Ehara is represented in Australia by the previously described O. morenoi Schicha and O. domatorum (Schicha); the Asian species O. subtropicus Ehara (new record); and two new species, O. tribulation and O. cowbay described from tropical rainforest in Far North Queensland. Phytoscutus acaridophagus Collyer, a mite described from New Zealand, is reported in association with acarid mites ( Neotropacarus sp.) in Victoria and in Queensland.     

New species and new record of Tetranychus Dufour from Australia, with a key to the major groups in this genus based on females (Acari: Prostigmata: Tetranychidae)

A new species of spider mite, Tetranychus bunda sp. n., is described and illustrated from Australia. It was found damaging the foliage of Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC. (Fabaceae) in Darwin, Northern Territory. In addition, the geographical range of Tetranychus fijiensis Hirst is extended to include Australia. This species was found in the Northern Territory feeding on frangipani ( Plumeria sp., Apocynaceae), betel palm ( Areca catechu L., Arecaceae) and Macarthur feather palm ( Ptychosperma macarthurii [H. Wendl. ex Veitch] (H. Wendl. ex Hook. f., Arecaceae)). Details of the biology of T. bunda sp. n. and T. fijiensis are given. A key to the major groups of Tetranychus Dufour of the world, based on females, is presented and species known to occur in Australia are outlined.     

Wolbachia distribution and cytoplasmic incompatibility based on a survey of 42 spider mite species (Acari: Tetranychidae) in Japan

Wolbachia are a group of maternally inherited bacteria that infect a wide range of arthropods. Wolbachia infections are known to result in the expression of various abnormal reproductive phenotypes, the best known being cytoplasmic incompatibility. The first systematic survey of 42 spider mite species in Japan revealed that seven species (16.7%) were infected with Wolbachia. Wolbachia in the spider mites were grouped into three subgroups in supergroup B by phylogenetic analyses of the wsp gene. Most spider mites did not show cytoplasmic incompatibility when infected males were crossed with uninfected females. However, all infected populations of Panonychus mori and Oligonychus gotohi (five and four populations, respectively) possessed modification-positive strains of Wolbachia, and the cytoplasmic incompatibility decreased egg hatchability and female ratio of the spider mites. Thus, some Wolbachia strains cause sex ratio distortion in their hosts.     

Prey preference of Orius sauteri between Western Flower Thrips and spider mites

Prey preference of polyphagous predators plays an important role in the suppression of various species of pest insects. In this study, the prey preference of Orius sauteri (Poppius) (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) between deutonymphs of Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) and second instars of Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), and the influence of spider mite density on the preference were examined in the laboratory in three-dimensional set-ups at 25 ± 1 °C and 70 ± 5% r.h. The results showed that the predatory bug in the presence of equal densities of the two prey species had a clear preference for thrips (preference index β: 0.86 ± 0.02), consuming 7.2 thrips larvae and 1.5 spider mite deutonymphs during the experimental periods of 6 h. The number of thrips consumed by O. sauteri did not change when the density ratio of thrips to spider mites was decreased from 1:1 to 1:5. Predation on spider mites increased when their ratio to thrips increased, but the disproportionate predation (i.e., the functional response) of O. sauteri towards spider mites resulted in a linear increase in the preference for F. occidentalis . The possible implications of these findings for the suppression of spider mites by O. sauteri in relation to the recent invasion of F. occidentalis into China are discussed.     

不同猎物及密度对巴氏新小绥螨和拉戈钝绥螨同类相残和集团内捕食作用的影响

明确不同猎物及密度下巴氏新小绥螨Neoseiulus barkeri与拉戈钝绥螨Amblyseius largoensis(Muma)的同类相残和集团内捕食作用,为其协同应用控制橡胶树害螨提供依据.在室温27±1℃、湿度75％±5％、光周期12 L∶12D 条件下,以六点始叶螨 Eotetranvchus sexmaculatus(Riley)、比哈小爪螨Oligonychus biharen(Hirst)和东方真叶螨Eutetranychus orientalis(klein)为集团外猎物,观察巴氏新小绥螨和拉戈钝绥螨对集团内和集团外猎物的捕食选择行为,以及不同集团外猎物密度下两种捕食螨对同种和异种捕食螨的捕食作用.巴氏新小绥螨和拉戈钝绥螨对异种个体及集团外不同猎物的捕食偏好性及捕食时间存在明显差异.巴氏新小绥螨偏好取食集团外猎物,异种捕食螨拉戈钝绥螨残存率达到80.00％以上;拉戈钝绥螨偏好取食集团外猎物六点始叶螨和比哈小爪螨,而当东方真叶螨存在时,其更偏好取食异种捕食螨巴氏新小绥螨(残存率为26.67％);发生集团内捕食时,拉戈钝绥螨为集团内捕食者,而巴氏新小绥螨为集团内猎物.集团外猎物密度可显著影响巴氏新小绥螨和拉戈钝绥螨相残作用,尤以猎物六点始叶螨对巴氏新小绥螨和东方真叶螨对拉戈钝绥螨影响最为明显,其充足时比无猎物时捕食量分别下降了 68.85％和62.90％.巴氏新小绥螨和拉戈钝绥螨的集团内捕食分别以比哈小爪螨和六点始叶螨的影响最大,猎物充足时比无猎物时捕食量下降了 80.00％和69.44％,但拉戈钝绥螨在以东方真叶螨为猎物时集团内捕食受猎物密度影响较小,猎物充足时取食量与猎物不足时接近,比无猎物时捕食量只下降20.83％.集团外猎物六点始叶螨、比哈小爪螨存在时,巴氏新小绥螨和拉戈钝绥螨表现为偏好选择集团外猎物,密度增加对两种植绥螨的同类相残和集团内捕食作用有明显抑制作用,但东方真叶螨充足与否,拉戈钝绥螨对巴氏新小绥螨的集团内捕食作用影响差异不显著.     

Revision of the Pepila fuscomaculata species-group and description of four new species from Australia (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae)

Abstract The Pepila fuscomaculata species-group from Australia, including P. fuscomaculata ( Baly 1877 ), P. hypocrita ( Blackburn 1896 ), P. submetallescens ( Baly 1877 ), P. tumbyensis ( Blackburn 1896 ), P. blackburni sp. n., P. brittoni sp. n., P. nikitini sp. n. and P. reidi sp. n., is analysed. A key to all the species is presented. Line drawings of male and female genitalia of all species are included. Brief ecological and zoogeographical data are also reported.     

Exposure of arthropod predators to Cry1Ab toxin in Bt maize fields

Abstract.  1. To assess the risks of an insect-resistant transgenic plant for non-target arthropods, it is important to investigate the exposure of non-target species to the transgene product. Exposure of predators in the field depends on the toxin levels in food sources, their feeding ecology and that of their prey.
2. To verify the transmission of Cry1Ab toxin through the food chain, and thus exposure of predators in the field, samples from different plant tissues, herbivores, and predators in Bt maize fields in Spain (Event 176) were collected at different periods over the season and the toxin content was measured using ELISA. Complementary laboratory studies were performed with the omnivorous predator Orius majusculus to assess the toxin uptake and persistence after feeding on variable Bt-containing food sources.
3. Field results revealed that toxin content in some herbivores was negligible (aphids, thrips, leafhoppers) compared with those in spider mites. The latter herbivore only occurred after pollen shed and contained three times greater toxin levels than Bt maize leaves.
4. Data confirmed that the Bt toxin can be transferred to predators, that is to say to Orius spp., Chrysoperla spp., and Stethorus sp. This only applied when Bt maize pollen or spider mites were available. The passage of Bt toxin to O. majusculus via these two food sources was also confirmed in the laboratory. Contrastingly, some predators in the field (hemerobiids, Nabis sp., Hippodamia sp., Demetrias sp.) contained no or negligible toxin levels even when pollen or spider mites were present.
5. Besides essential information for exposure assessment of numerous arthropod predators, this study provides an insight into the feeding ecology of different arthropods in the maize system.     

Notes on the Occurrence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oligonychus milleri</Emphasis> (McGregor) and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oligonychus ununguis</Emphasis> (Jacobi) (Acari: Tetranychidae) in Brazil

We verified infestation of Oligonychus milleri (McGregor) on plantations of Pinus caribaea (Pinaceae) and of Oligonychus ununguis (Jacobi) on plantations of Eucalyptus urophylla x Eucalyptus grandis (Myrtaceae) in State of Rondônia, Northern region of Brazil. This represents the first record of O. milleri in Brazil. Oligonychus ununguis was recorded previously, on cypress. The damage caused by these two spider mites in the plantations is described herein.     

Three new species of Orphninotrichia Mosely (Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae) from Barrington Tops, New South Wales, a distribution extended, and remarks on generic placement

Abstract Three new species are described in the endemic Australian microcaddisfly genus Orphninotrichia Mosely (Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae: Hydroptilinae), all collected in the Barrington Tops area of north-eastern New South Wales: Orphninotrichia bilobata sp. n., O. claviculata sp. n. and O. dundungra sp. n. From the same area, Orphninotrichia papillata Wells, described from central Victoria, is newly recorded and noted for the atypical presence of a large gland on the dorsum of the male head. Comments are made on the still unresolved affinities of the genus Orphninotrichia , and a key to males of all species is provided.     

The hymenopteran parasitoids of light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Australia

Abstract  Epiphyas postvittana (Walker) is a serious pest of a number of horticultural crops including grapes in Australia and New Zealand. This study brings together information on the parasitoid complex associated with E. postvittana that previously was fragmented and largely inaccessible. We include species reared during a 3-year study of the parasitoids of E. postvittana in the vineyards of the Coonawarra region, South Australia, material from several Australian agricultural insect collections and records from the literature. An illustrated key is presented for 25 species of parasitoids and hyperparasitoids associated with E. postvittana , along with information on the taxonomy, identification, distribution and biology of each species. Taxa newly recorded from this host are Perilampus sp. (Perilampidae), and six species of Ichneumonidae: Euceros sp., Labium sp., Netelia sp., Plectochorus sp., Temalucha minuta (Morley) and Eriborus epiphyas sp. n., the latter species being described in full.     

华东地区园林叶螨的初步研究（蜱螨目：叶螨总科）

笔经过数年的调查研究,查知华东园林植物上叶螨种类90种,分属3科22属。章报道了这些种类及其新的寄主植物和分布,研究发现,酢酱草如叶螨,柑桔全爪螨、构始叶螨、截形如螨,神泽叶螨,柏小爪螨,合肥埃须螨,俄勒冈小扁螨,刘氏短须螨和卵形短须螨等为园林植物上的主要种类,二点叶螨和朱砂叶螨是世界性分布的重要害螨。通常被认为是主要种类,但在华东园林植物上分布尚有限,加强检疫防止它们的传播扩散是十分必要的,章讨论了其它有关问题,所有标本均存放于上海农学院园环系农螨研究室。