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Fig. 1. Aplonobia sp. adult female - dorsal habitus (arrow indicates emergent peritreme).
Fig. 2. Aplonobia sp. adult female - dorsal habitus.
Fig. 3. Aplonobia sp. adult female - detail of claws and empodium in ventral and lateral aspect.
Fig. 4. Aplonobia sp. adult female - detail of genital region.
Material examined
specimens of an undescribed species
Taxonomy
Subfamily Bryobiinae
Tribe Hystrichonychini
Distribution
+Australia, *South Africa
Taxonomy Changes
None
Diagnosis
Female
- dark red in colour
- dorsal body setae thick, barbed, blunt distally
- prodorsum with median area of punctate cuticle incorporating setae v2 and sc1
- opisthosoma with strong, thick, transverse striae
- dorsal setae set on punctate tubercles
- peritreme emergent, ending in ovate, anastomosing expansion
Hosts
Citrus limon, *C. sinensis (Rutaceae), Prunus persicae (Rosaceae)
Similar Taxa
Biology
Females lay many eggs over the bark of the host navel orange trees, Citrus sinensis (Rutaceae). Females of A. citri were collected with A. honiballi in the Caper Province of South Africa. In Australia, A. citri has been collected from Prunus persicae (Rosaceae) and Citris limon (Rutaceae).
References
Berlese, A. (1910) Lista di nuove specie e nuove generi di acari. Redia 6: 242-271
Bolland H.R., Gutierrez J., and Flechtmann C.H.W. (1998) World Catalogue of the Spider Mite Family (Acari: Tetranychidae). Brill Academic Publishers, Leiden, 392 pp.
+Gutierrez, J. and Schicha, E. (1983) The spider mite family Tetranychidae (Acari) in New South Wales. International Journal of Acarology 9: 99-116
Pritchard, A.E. and Baker, E.W. (1955) A revision of the spider mite family Tetranychidae. Pacific Coast Entomology Society Memoirs 2: 1-472
*Meyer, M.K.P. (1974) A revision of the Tetranychidae of Africa (Acari) with a key to genera of the world. Entomological Memoir of the Department of Agricultureal Technical Services 36: 1-292
+Womersley, H. (1940) Studies in Australian Acarina, Tetranychidae and Trichadenidae. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 64: 233-265
Notes
In 1910, Berlese described Tetranychopsis histricina from fruit trees in NSW, collected by Froggatt. Then Womersley (1940) described a new genus and species Aplonobia oxalis from Oxalis in South Australia and from peach trees in NSW. Womersley indicated that his species was similar to another species that had been recorded on fruit trees in Australia by Froggatt, Tetranychopsis histricina Berlese 1910.
Pritchard and Baker (1955) introduced a new combination, redescribed the troublesome Aplonobia histricina (Berlese) and made Aplonobia oxalis a synonym of Aplonobia histricina. However, Gutierrez and Schica (1983) examined some of Womersley's original material and felt that the specimens from Oxalis were A. histricina, but the specimens from peach were in fact A. citri Meyer-Smith. Gutierrez and Schica (1983) believe that both species occur in Australia, but a detailed revision of the genus is needed to confirm this.
Leg setal counts vary with author.
Images of an undescribed species are presented to show generic characters.
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