Material examined

specimens not examined

Taxonomy

Subfamily Bryobiinae

Tribe Bryobiini

Common Name

Clover mite

Distribution

+Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, CIS, Chile, China, Egypt, France, *Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom

Taxonomy Changes

Acarus graminum Schrank 1781

Bryobia graminum (Schrank) Oudemans 1929

Acarus rufus Schrank 1776, synonymy Livshits & Mitrofanov 1971

Tetranychus cristatus Duges 1834

Bryobia cristata (Duges) Oudemans 1905, synonymy Livshits & Mitrofanov 1971

Bryobia gloriosa Koch 1836, synonymy Oudemans 1937

Rhyncholophus haustor Hardy 1850

Bryobia haustor (Hardy) Oudemans 1937, synonymy Oudemans 1937

Bryobia amygdali Reck 1947, synonymy Livshits & Mitrofanov 1971

Bryobia zachvatkini Wainstein 1956, synonymy Livshits & Mitrofanov 1971

Diagnosis

Larva

• dorsal body setae slender, needle-like, serrate

Female

• peritreme ending in oval expansion about 38 long
• prodorsal setae v2 slightly broader than setae v1
• outer prodorsal lobes triangular with slight swelling on inner margin
• indentation between inner and outer prodorsal lobes relatively shallow
• indentation between inner lobes relatively shallow
• dorsal body setae spatulate, 23-25 long x 15-20 wide

Hosts

> 30 species including: Alopercurus pratensis (Poaceae), Artemisia vulgaris (Asteraceae), Brassica kaber (Brassicaceae), Bromus sp. (Poaceae), Chrysanthemum sp. (Asteraceae), Cichorium intybus (Asteraceae), Citrus aurantium (Rutaceae), Elytrigia repens (Poaceae), Holcus sp. (Poaceae), Lolium sp. (Poaceae), Malus domestica (Rosaceae), Malva sylvestris (Malvaceae), Mentha sp. (Lamiaceae), *Poaceae, Poa sp. (Poaceae), Prunus dulcis (Rosaceae), Pyrus communis (Rosaceae), Ranunculus repens (Ranunculaceae), Rhamnus pallasii (Rhamnaceae), Trifolium alexandrinum (Fabaceae)

Biology

This species tends to be found on herbaceous plants, and sometimes on fruit trees.  The hibernating stages are often collected in crevices of tree trunks and in cracks in the walls of houses.

References

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.

Jeppson, L.R., Keifer, H.H. and Baker, E.W. (1975)  Mites injurious to economic plants.  614pp.  Berkeley, University of California Press.

Duges, A. (1834)  Recherches sur l'ordre des Acariens en general et la famille des Trombidies en particular. Annales de Sciences Naturelles. Partie Zoologique. 2nd Serie. 5-173, + plates

+Gutierrez, J. and Schicha, E. (1983)  The spider mite family Tetranychidae (Acari) in New South Wales.  International Journal of Acarology 9: 99-116

Livshits, I.Z. and Mitrofanov, V.I. (1971)  The mites of the genus Bryobia C.L. Koch, 1836 (Acariformes, Bryobiidae).  Tr. Gos. Nikit. Bot. Sada 51: 1-112

Ma, E.P. and Yuan, Y.L. (1980)  New species and records of tetranychid mites from China I. (Acarina: Tetranychidae).  Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica 5: 42-45

+Manson, D.C.M. (1967)  The spider mite family Tetranychidae in New Zealand. I. The genus Bryobia.  Acarologia 9: 76-123

Migeon, A. and Dorkeld, F. (2006-2017) Spider Mites Web: a comprehensive database for the Tetranychidae. http://www.montpellier.inra.fr/CBGP/spmweb

Oudemans, A.C. (1929) Kritisch Historisch Overzicht der Acarologie.  B2: 1-1097 

Oudemans, A.C. (1937) Kritisch Historisch Overzicht der Acarologie.  3(C): IX-XXIII + 799-1348

*Schrank, F.P. (1781) Enumeratio Insectorum Austriae Indigenorum.  Beitr. Natur. Augsburg, Germany, 8: 548pp.

Notes

Bryobia graminum was recorded as being present in Australia by Gutierrez and Schicha (1983) under the name B. cristata Duges (1834).  

[Bryobia cristata is a junior synonym of B. graminum (synonymy by Livshits and Mitrofanov (1971): 57]