Top

Material examined
Taxonomy
Distribution
Taxonomy Changes
Diagnosis
Hosts
Biology
References
Notes
Print Fact Sheet
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Click on images to enlarge

Fig. 1. Oligonychus milleri adult female (non-type; Danville, California) - detail of claw III.

Fig. 2. Oligonychus milleri adult female (non-type; Danville, California) - detail of pattern of pregenital striae.

Fig. 3. Oligonychus milleri adult female (non-type; Danville, California) - detail of pattern of striae on prodorsum.

Fig. 4. Oligonychus milleri adult female (non-type; Danville, California) - detail of pattern of striae on prodorsum.

Fig. 5. Oligonychus milleri adult female (non-type; Danville, California) - detail of dorsal setae c1 and d1; and pattern of striae.

Fig. 6. Oligonychus milleri adult female (non-type; Danville, California) - detail of dorsal setae d1 and e1; and pattern of striae.

Fig. 7. Oligonychus milleri adult female (non-type; Danville, California) - detail of dorsal setae e1 and f1; and pattern of striae.

Fig. 8. Oligonychus milleri adult female (non-type; Danville, California) - detail of dorsal setae f1 and f2; and pattern of striae.

Fig. 9. Oligonychus milleri adult female (non-type; Danville, California) - detail of pattern of striae on prodorsum.

Fig. 10. Oligonychus milleri adult males (non-type) - detail of aedeagus (1-4 specimens from Danville, California; 5. specimen from Riverside, California), and detail of claws II, III, IV (Danville population).

Fig. 11. Oligonychus milleri adult male (non-type; Danville, California) - detail of aedeagus (different focal points - arrow indicates tip; specimen not flat).

Fig. 12. Oligonychus milleri adult male (non-type; Danville, California) - detail of aedeagus (different focal points - arrow indicates tip; specimen not flat).

Oligonychus milleri (McGregor, 1950)

Material examined

non-types

Taxonomy

Subfamily Tetranychinae

Tribe Tetranychini

Distribution

+Australia, Jamaica, Mexico, *USA

Taxonomy Changes

Paratetranychus milleri McGregor 1950

Oligonychus milleri (McGregor) Pritchard & Baker 1955

Diagnosis

Female

Male

Hosts

>20 recorded host plant species, including 17 species of  Pinus spp. (Pinaceae).

Type hosts are listed as *Pinus ponderosa and *P. taeda.

Biology

Oligonychus milleri occurs on several conifers and is widely distributed in the USA.  Feeding on young seedlings and young pines by this mite leads to yellowing and bronzing of the needles and can lead to death of the trees. 

References

+Gutierrez, J. and Schicha, E. (1985)  Notes on the occurrence of Oligonychus milleri (McGregor) and O. coffeae (Nietner) (Acari: Tetranychidae) in Australia.  Australian Entomological Magazine 12: 69-70

*McGregor, E.A. (1950)  Mites of the family Tetranychidae.  American Midland Naturalist 44: 257-420

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

Pritchard, A.E. and Baker, E.W. (1955)  A revision of the spider mite family Tetranychidae.  Pacific Coast Entomology Society Memoirs 2: 1-472

Notes

There was a lot of morphological variation in the material identified as Oligonychus milleri held in the US National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian).  I chose to present images and data from material collected 190 km (Danville) from the type locality (Placerville) in California.  The original description only offers a lateral drawing of the female, but the material presented here has the same pattern of dorsal setal lengths. 

See Notes for O. punicae for a discussion on this species-group.