Bryobiinae

t

Taxonomy

Probability of encounter

unknown

Quarantine importance

high

• Bryobia vasiljevi Reck is a member of the praetiosa-complex and may be a damaging pest of apple, passion fruit, asparagus, wheat and other grasses, and some flowers in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Males are not present.

Diagnosis

• Dorsally flattened mites with red cuticle; dark body contents; short, flattened, white setae; and very long legs I.
• Claws hooked; empodium pad-like and with more than 1 pair of tenent hairs.
• Prodorsum with 4 pairs of setae (vi, ve, sci, sce), vi and ve borne on prominent lobes over gnathosoma
• Median lobes longest and partially fused medially; outer lobes well developed and mound-like.
• Femur I with 24–26 setae
• Opisthosoma with 12 pairs of setae (c1–3, d1–3, e1–3, f1–2, h1), typically club-shaped

Similar taxa

Differentiating this species from other members of the praetiosa-complex is difficult and best done by a specialist.

References

• Bolland et al. 1998Bolland et al. 1998:
  Bolland HR, Gutierrez J, Flechtmann CHW. 1998. World catalogue of the spider mite family (Acari: Tetranychidae). Brill, Leiden.
• Manson 1967Manson 1967:
  Manson DCM. 1967. The spider mite family Tetranychidae in New Zealand L.: The genus Bryobia. Acarologia 9: 76–123.
• Zhang 2003Zhang 2003:
  Zhang Z-Q. 2003. Mites of greenhouses: Identification, biology and control. CABI Publishing, Wallingford. 244 pp.