Taxonomic Position

Cohort Gamasina

    Subcorhort Dermanyssiae

  Superfamily Phytoseioidea

Family Phytoseiidae Berlese

 Phytoseiulus longipes Evans

 

Diagnostic characters of adult female:

• Dorsal shield ca. 0.325-0.345 mm long

• Dorsal shield setae j5 and S5 both absent; j6 long and barbed; R1 barbed and >2x r3

• Peritrematal shield free from dorsal shield

• Fixed digit of chelicera relatively short and with only 3 teeth

• Calyx of spermatheca subtubular, tapering gradually from vesicle

• Sternal shield with 2 pairs of setae; st3 and st4 both on small platelets

• Anal opening on anal shield with 3 setae

• Setae JV2 and JV4 in soft cuticle

• Genu IV without macrosetae; macroseta on basitarsus IV simple (ca. 0.110 mm long)

 

Similar species.  Other species of Phytoseiulus have a sternal shield with 3 pairs of setae (st1-2) and have dorsal shield setae j5 and S5.

 

Ecology & Distribution. Phytoseiulus longipes is the most morphologically aberrant member of the genus.  It  was described from southern Africa and is also known from southern South America.

        

References

Evans GO.  1958.  A new mite of the genus Phytoseiulus Evans (Acarina: Phytoseiidae) from Southern Rhodesia.  Journal of the Entomological Society of South Africa 21: 306-308.

Takahashi F & Chant DA.  1993.  Phylogenetic relationships in the genus Phytoseiulus Evans (Acari: Phytoseiidae).  II. Taxonomic Review.  International Journal of Acarology 19: 23-37.