Aponychus

Superfamily Tetranychoidea

   Family Tetranychidae

      Subfamily Tetranychinae

        Tribe Eutetranychini

          Genus Aponychus

Common names: Oriental mite, African mite

Probability of Encounter: High

Quarantine importance: High.  About 20 species of Aponychus have been described, several of which are polyphagous pests or attack economically important grasses such as sugarcane and rice.

• Bamboo mite - Aponychus corpuzae Rimando is a pest of bamboo and rice in China.  The various descriptions of this mite vary in several characters and a species complex may be involved.

Diagnosis:

• With 1 pair of anal setae.

• Empodial claw minute, appearing absent.

• Tarsus I lacking 2 distinct pairs of duplex setae.

• Opisthosoma with 9-10 pairs of dorsal setae mostly on tubercles (apparently the most posterior pair [h1?] is not always perceived as a dorsal seta).

Similar taxa.  The empodia are distinct and have tenent hairs in the Bryobiinae and are well developed in the Tetranychini.  Species of Eutetranychus have 2 pairs of anal setae.

References

 Baker EW & AE Pritchard.  1960.  The tetranychoid mites of Africa.  Hilgardia 29(11): 455-574.

 Baker EW & DM Tuttle.  1994.  A guide to the spider mites (Tetranychidae) of the United States.  Indira Pub. House, West Bloomfield, MI: 347 pp.

Beard JJ, Walter DE, & Allsopp P.  2003.  Spider Mites of Sugarcane in Australia: A Review of Grass-feeding Oligonychus Berlese (Acari: Prostigmata: Tetranychidae) with the description of four new species.  Australian Journal of Entomology 42: 51-78.

Bolland HR, J Gutierre  & CHW Flechtmann. 1998. World Catalogue of the Spider Mite Family (Acari: Tetranychidae). Brill: Leiden.

Helle W & MW Sabelis (eds.) 1985. Spider Mites, Their Biology, Natural Enemies, and Control, vol. 1A. Elsevier: New York.

Ho C-C 2003.  A new species of Aponychus from Taiwan and a redescription of A. corpuzae (Acariformes: Tetranychidae).  Plant Prot. Bull. 45: 343-351.

Jeppson LR, HH Keifer & EW Baker. 1975. Mites Injurious to Economic Plants, University of California Press: Berkeley

Meyer, M.K.P. 1974.  A revision of the Tetranychidae of Africa (Acari) with a key to the genera of the world.  Dept. Agr. Tech. Serv. Mem. 36: 291 pp.

Meyer, M.K.P. Smith 1987.  African Tetranychidae (Acari: Prostigmata) - with reference to the world genera.  S. Afr. Dept. Agr. Water Supply, Entomol. Mem. No. 69: 175 pp.

Navajas M, J Gutierrez & T Gotoh 1997.  Convergence of molecular and morphological data reveals phylogenetic information in Tetranychus species and allows the restoration of the genus Amphitetranychus (Acari: Tetranychidae).  Bull. Entomol. Res. 87: 283-288.

Ochoa R, H Aguilar & C Vargas 1994. Phytophagous Mites of Central America: An Illustrated Guide  CATIE, Turrialba, Costa Rica.

Tseng Y-H  1990.  A monograph of the mite family Tetranychidae (Acarina: Trombidiformes) from Taiwan.  Taiwan Museum Special Publication series 9. 224 pp.

Zhang Z-Q.  2003.  Mites of greenhouses: identification, biology and control.  CABI Publishing, Wallingford:  244 pp.