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Comparative confocal microscopy of internal genitalia of phytoptine mites (Eriophyoidea, Phytoptidae): new generic diagnoses reflecting host-plant associations

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Abstract

Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) methods are still rarely used by acarologists although they are very appropriate for studying minute arthropod pests, especially eriophyoid mites. In this paper, the female reproductive system of phytoptines, including the bud mite Phytoptus avellanae, the well-known pest of hazelnut, was studied using CLSM and resulted in new interpretations of the functioning anatomy of phytoptid genitalia. Comparison of cuticle-lined internal genitalia, based on novel CLSM-based 2D and 3D imaging, and multivariate analysis of morphometric measurements, show that two basic types of internal genitalia can be found within Phytoptinae: one type in phytoptines associated with monocotyledoneous hosts (especially Cyperaceae and Asparagaceae), and another one in those associated with various dicotyledoneous hosts. Phytoptines from monocots (genera Oziella and Acathrix and Phytoptus “caricis” sp. group) possess a spherical distal part of the spermathecal tube and a semitriangular transverse genital apodeme, whereas phytoptines from dicots (genus Phytoptus “avellenae” sp. group) possess an elongate distal part of the tube and a trapezoidal apodeme. These differences in the internal genitalic anatomy were used for modifying the diagnosis of phytoptine genera (Phytoptus, Oziella and Acathrix), and reorganizing the Phytoptinae, resulting in new synonymies: 11 species were transferred from genus Phytoptus “caricis” sp. group to the genus Oziella.

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Notes

  1. Numerous inadequate descriptions and misidentifications of phytoptids (especially those from conifers) make such interpretations complicated, e.g. several new diptilomiopid species were described from China as inhabiting conifers whereas according to images (Xue et al. 2006 figs. 1, 4, 5) these mites (fargesis, abiesis & fabris) are distinct Nalepella species.

  2. Some characters (angles between different elements of internal genitalia and length of anterior and posterior parts of longitudinal bridge) proposed in the mentioned protocols, were excluded from the analysis because of their great variation and strong overall among the studied species.

  3.  = “prespermathecal swelling” in Chetverikov et al. (2012b).

  4. See for details in Chetverikov et al. (2013).

  5. The reduction or entire loss of the tibial solenidion might have happened independently several times in genus Phytoptus. Although the presence/absence of the solenidion is a character distinguishing mites from groups I and II, additional data (eg DNA sequences) is needed to clarify whether these two groups are artificial or represent two monophyletic lineages.

  6. Phytoptus beeri is morphologically close to Oziella species from asparagacean plants from the genera Yucca and Agave (eg. O. yuccae and Oziella sp. A). As in all Oziella mites, it lives in the basal leaf parts of a monocot host (Beaucarnea stricta Lem.: Asparagaceae: Asparagales). As type material was not available for study, this species herein retains its original assignment to the genus Phytoptus. Future DNA analysis will make clear if it is a valid member of Oziella or an example of a secondary Phytoptus association with a new monocot host (host shift).

  7. Remarkably, many phytoptines from sedges have two prominences anterior to basal part of the genital coverflap (Fig. 9a). Their nature is unclear but one intriguing idea is that they may be the remnants of coxisterna III, whereas the postero-lateral genital fields bearing setae 3a (Lindquist 1996a, p. 22) may be the remnants of coxisterna IV (then the setae on the genital rim would be designated 4a).

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Acknowledgments

I sincerely thank Prof. James W. Amrine (West Virginia University, Morgantown, USA), Prof Radmila U. Petanović (University of Belgrade, Serbia) and Dr Vadim M. Khaitov (Saint-Petersburg State University, Russia) for their critical comments on earlier drafts of manuscript and to Drs. Charnie Craemer (ARC-Plant Protection Research Institute, Pretoria, South Africa), Ronald Ochoa (USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD, USA) and H. Dastych (Zoologisches Museum of Universität Hamburg, Deutschland) for loaning materials of rare phytoptid mites. I am grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for their invaluable comments. This work was supported by research grants of the Russian Foundation For Basic Research (RFBR research project # 12-04-31016_mol_a) and Saint-Petersburg State University (Grant # 1.0.140.2010).

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  1. Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Saint-Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab., 7/9, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia

    Philipp E. Chetverikov

  2. Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya nab., 1, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia

    Philipp E. Chetverikov

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Chetverikov, P.E. Comparative confocal microscopy of internal genitalia of phytoptine mites (Eriophyoidea, Phytoptidae): new generic diagnoses reflecting host-plant associations. Exp Appl Acarol 62, 129–160 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-013-9734-2

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