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Fig. 1. Tetranychus marianae adult female paralectotype - detail of empodia I and II (arrows indicate minute dorsal spur).

Fig. 2. Tetranychus marianae adult female paralectotype - detail of empodia III and IV (arrow indicates presence of minute dorsal spur).

Fig. 3. Tetranychus marianae adult female paralectotype - detail of pattern of pregenital striae.

Fig. 4. Tetranychus marianae adult female paralectotype - detail of pattern of pregenital striae.

Fig. 5. Tetranychus marianae adult female paralectotype - detail of pattern of pregenital striae.

Fig. 6. Tetranychus marianae adult female paralectotype - detail of peritreme (arrows indicate the hook).

Fig. 7. Tetranychus marianae adult female paralectotype - detail of prodorsal striae.

Fig. 8. Tetranychus marianae adult female paralectotype - detail of prodorsal striae.

Fig. 9. Tetranychus marianae adult female paralectotype - detail of pattern of dorsal striae between setae e1 and f1.

Fig. 10. Tetranychus marianae adult female paralectotype - detail of pattern of dorsal striae between setae e1 and f1.

Fig. 11. Tetranychus marianae adult female paralectotype - detail of pattern of dorsal striae between setae e1 and f1.

Fig. 12. Tetranychus marianae adult female paralectotype - detail of ventral striae and setae 1a and 3a.

Fig. 13. Tetranychus marianae adult male cotype from apple - detail of claw I with small dorsal spur.

Fig. 14. Tetranychus marianae adult male paralectotype - detail claws I, III, IV (arrows indicate the minute spur).

Fig. 15. Tetranychus marianae adult male cotype from apple - detail of pattern o f prodorsal striae.

Fig. 16. Tetranychus marianae adult male cotypes from apple - detail of aedeagus (at different focal points).

Fig. 17. Tetranychus marianae adult male paralectotype - detail of aedeagus (at different focal points; arrows indicate the tip).

Fig. 18. Tetranychus marianae adult male paralectotype - detail of aedeagus (at different focal points; arrows indicate the tip; outline of aedeagus indicated in white in lower image).

Fig. 19. Tetranychus marianae adult male paralectotype - detail of aedeagus.

Fig. 20. Tetranychus marianae adult male paralectotype - detail of aedeagus (at different focal points; arrow indicates the tip).

Fig. 21. Tetranychus marianae adult male cotype from apple - detail of aedeagus (at different focal points).

Material examined

types (syntypes and "cotypes")

Taxonomy

Subfamily Tetranychinae

Tribe Tetranychini

Common Name

Tropical red spider mite

Distribution

+Australia, American Samoa, Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Fiji, French West Indies, Guam Island, Honduras, *Northern Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Mexico, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Solomon Islands, Thailand, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Indies, Western Samoa

* type location (Mt Lasso, Tinian Island)

Taxonomy Changes

None

Diagnosis

Female

• empodia I-IV with dorsal spur minute or absent (Figs 1, 2)
• the number of proximal setae varies as the sockets of four tactile setae are in the vicinity of the socket of the proximal duplex seta, and these sockets are either just proximal or just overlapping to fully overlapping:
  • tarsus I with the sockets of four tactile setae clearly proximal to, and one solenidion overlapping, the socket of the proximal duplex seta
  • tarsus I with the sockets of three tactile setae clearly proxinal to, and one tactile and one solenidion overlapping, the socket of the proximal duplex seta
  • tarsus I with the sockets of one tactile seta clearly proximal and three tactile setae just proximal or overlapping, and one solenidion overlapping, the socket of the proximal duplex seta
• tarsus II with the bases of three tactile setae and one solenidion proximal to, and three tactile setae overlapping, the socket of the duplex seta
• pregenital striae longitudinal and broken anteromedially, entire laterally (Figs 3-5)
• peritreme hook moderately long (Fig. 6)
• prodorsal striae longitudinal with small lobes (Figs 7, 8)
• dorsal striae between setae e1-f1 forming the diamond pattern - i.e. straie between e1-e1 longitudinal, between e1-f1 transverse, between f1-f1 longitudinal (Figs 9-11)
• ventral striae with lobes between genital region and setae 1a (Fig. 12)

Male

• empodia I-IV with minute to short dorsal spur above proximoventral hairs (Figs 13, 14)
• empodia I with proximoventral hairs fused to form ventral claw (Figs 13, 14)
• number of setae on tarsus I varies amongst the type male specimens, from 18 to 20, and this reflects in the number of proximal setae:
  • tarsus I with the sockets of two-four tactile setae and two solenidia proximal to, and the socket of one solenidion overlapping, the socket of the proximal duplex seta 
• tarsus II with sockets of three tactile setae and one solenidion proximal to, and three tactile setae overlapping, the socket of the duplex seta
• prodorsum with longitudinal striae forming a U-shape posteriorly; lobes absent (Fig. 15)
• aedeagus dorsally directed, with long neck and distinct triangular knob; anterior projection small, triangular; posterior projection tapering narrow triangular, projection and dorsal margin of knob directed at 45° angle to dorsal margin of shaft; dorsal margin of shaft more or less parallel with ventral margin, curving evenly dorsad and recurved anteriorly to form anterior projection of knob (Figs 16-21)

Hosts

>70 recorded species of host plant, including: Abelmoschus esculentus (Malvaceae), Alocasia macrorhiza (Araceae), *Argyreia sp. ? (Convolvulaceae), Artemisia douglasiana (Asteraceae), Brassica oleracea (Brassicaceae), Brugmansia candida (Solanaceae), Capsicum annuum (Solanaceae), Carica papaya, C. pubescens (Caricaceae), Cucumis sativus, Cucurbita maxima (Cucurbitaceae), Euphoriba hirta (Euphorbiaceae), Glycine max (Fabaceae), Gossypium barbadense, G. hirsutum, Hibiscus sp. (Malvaceae), Ipomoea aquatica, I. batatas, I. triloba (Convolvulaceae), Lablab purpureus (Fabaceae), Manihot esculenta (Euphoribaceae), *Melanolepis multiglandulosa (Euphorbiaceae), Morus sp. (Moraceae), Musa sapientum (Musaceae), Nicotiana glauca (Solanaceae), Orchidaceae, Passiflora biflora, P. edulis, *P. foetida (Passifloraceae), Phaseolus vulgaris (Fabaceae), *Ricinis communis (Euphorbiaceae), Sida acuta, S. rhombifolia (Malvaceae), Solanum elaeagnifolium, S. indicum, S. mauritianum, S. melongena, S. nigrum, S. tuberosum (Solanaceae), Thunbergia alata (Acanthaceae), Vigna sp. (Fabaceae), Zea mays (Poaceae)

 *type hosts as listed by McGregor (1950)

Similar Taxa

Tetranychus evansi Baker & Pritchard 1960 (see deMoraes et al. 1987)

Biology

This species is recorded as a pest of cotton and tomato (Schuster 1959).  Noronha (2006) provides some biological data based on reared individuals. 

References

+Davis, J.J. (1968a)  Studies of Queensland Tetranychidae. 3. Records of the genus Tetranychus.  Queensland Journal of Agricultural and Animal Sciences 25: 57-67

Davis, J.J. (1969c)  A note on the cuticular lobes of Tetranychus marianae McGregor (Acarina: Tetranychidae) from Papua.  Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 8:112

*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

Moraes, G.J., McMurtry, J.A. and Baker, E.W. (1987)  Redescription and distribution of the spider mites, Tetranychus evansi and T. marianae.  Acarologia 28: 333-343

Noronha, A.C. da S. (2006)  Biological aspects of Tetranychus marianae McGregor (Acari, Tetranychidae) reared on yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims f. flavicarpa Deg.) leaves.  Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 23: 404-407

Schuster, M.F. (1959)  Chemical control of Tetranychus marianae McG. on tomatoes in lower Rio Grande Valley.  Journal of Economic Entomology 52: 763-764

Seeman, O.D. and Beard J.J. (2011) Identification of exotic pest and Australian native and naturalised species of Tetranychus (Acari: Tetranychidae).  Zootaxa 2961: 1-72

Notes

There is a great deal of variation in the shape of the aedeagus of non-type specimens identified as T. marianae.  For this reason, only data from the types is presented here.

This species was first recordd in Australia, on cotton in northern Queensland by Davis (1968, 1969).  These voucher specimens have not yet been examined for confirmation.  However, Seeman & Beard (2011) list several more recently collected specimens.