A new, gall-forming eriophyoid mite species is described from Australia. Aculus crassulae sp. nov. was found causing significant leaf deformation in Crassula helmsii (Kirk) Cockayne (Crassulaceae), a semi-aquatic, succulent plant. Native to Australia and New Zealand, this plant is now a highly invasive weed in the United Kingdom and Western Europe. The host specificity of the new mite species, and damage caused to the host plant, infer its potential to be a valuable biological control agent in countries where Australian swamp stonecrop is threatening native flora. The species description provided here, which also includes a revised diagnosis for the genus Aculus, incorporates line drawings and scanning electron micrographs (SEM). This is supplemented by a partial mitochondrial gene sequence of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtCOI) and the sequence was compared with Aculus amygdali Xue & Hong and Aculus ichnocarpi (Ghosh & Chakrabarati) available in the NCBI database. Pairwise comparis...on of mtCOI sequences between A. crassulae sp. nov. and two congeneric species revealed 22.6% and 23.1% genetic divergence, respectively.
Keywords:
biological control / DNA barcoding / taxonomy / eriophyid / eriophyoid mites / Eriophyoidea / gall mite / weeds
TY - JOUR
AU - Knihinicki, Danuta K.
AU - Petanović, Radmila
AU - Cvrković, Tatjana
AU - Varia, Sonal
PY - 2018
UR - http://plantarum.izbis.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/518
AB - A new, gall-forming eriophyoid mite species is described from Australia. Aculus crassulae sp. nov. was found causing significant leaf deformation in Crassula helmsii (Kirk) Cockayne (Crassulaceae), a semi-aquatic, succulent plant. Native to Australia and New Zealand, this plant is now a highly invasive weed in the United Kingdom and Western Europe. The host specificity of the new mite species, and damage caused to the host plant, infer its potential to be a valuable biological control agent in countries where Australian swamp stonecrop is threatening native flora. The species description provided here, which also includes a revised diagnosis for the genus Aculus, incorporates line drawings and scanning electron micrographs (SEM). This is supplemented by a partial mitochondrial gene sequence of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtCOI) and the sequence was compared with Aculus amygdali Xue & Hong and Aculus ichnocarpi (Ghosh & Chakrabarati) available in the NCBI database. Pairwise comparison of mtCOI sequences between A. crassulae sp. nov. and two congeneric species revealed 22.6% and 23.1% genetic divergence, respectively.
PB - Magnolia Press, Auckland
T2 - Zootaxa
T1 - A new species of Aculus mite (Acari: Eriophyidae), a potential biocontrol agent for Australian swamp stonecrop, Crassula helmsii (Crassulaceae)
EP - 585
IS - 4
SP - 573
VL - 4497
DO - 10.11646/zootaxa.4497.4.7
ER -
@article{
author = "Knihinicki, Danuta K. and Petanović, Radmila and Cvrković, Tatjana and Varia, Sonal",
year = "2018",
url = "http://plantarum.izbis.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/518",
abstract = "A new, gall-forming eriophyoid mite species is described from Australia. Aculus crassulae sp. nov. was found causing significant leaf deformation in Crassula helmsii (Kirk) Cockayne (Crassulaceae), a semi-aquatic, succulent plant. Native to Australia and New Zealand, this plant is now a highly invasive weed in the United Kingdom and Western Europe. The host specificity of the new mite species, and damage caused to the host plant, infer its potential to be a valuable biological control agent in countries where Australian swamp stonecrop is threatening native flora. The species description provided here, which also includes a revised diagnosis for the genus Aculus, incorporates line drawings and scanning electron micrographs (SEM). This is supplemented by a partial mitochondrial gene sequence of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtCOI) and the sequence was compared with Aculus amygdali Xue & Hong and Aculus ichnocarpi (Ghosh & Chakrabarati) available in the NCBI database. Pairwise comparison of mtCOI sequences between A. crassulae sp. nov. and two congeneric species revealed 22.6% and 23.1% genetic divergence, respectively.",
publisher = "Magnolia Press, Auckland",
journal = "Zootaxa",
title = "A new species of Aculus mite (Acari: Eriophyidae), a potential biocontrol agent for Australian swamp stonecrop, Crassula helmsii (Crassulaceae)",
pages = "585-573",
number = "4",
volume = "4497",
doi = "10.11646/zootaxa.4497.4.7"
}
Knihinicki, D. K., Petanović, R., Cvrković, T.,& Varia, S. (2018). A new species of Aculus mite (Acari: Eriophyidae), a potential biocontrol agent for Australian swamp stonecrop, Crassula helmsii (Crassulaceae).
Zootaxa
Magnolia Press, Auckland., 4497(4), 573-585.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4497.4.7
Knihinicki DK, Petanović R, Cvrković T, Varia S. A new species of Aculus mite (Acari: Eriophyidae), a potential biocontrol agent for Australian swamp stonecrop, Crassula helmsii (Crassulaceae). Zootaxa. 2018;4497(4):573-585
Knihinicki Danuta K., Petanović Radmila, Cvrković Tatjana, Varia Sonal, "A new species of Aculus mite (Acari: Eriophyidae), a potential biocontrol agent for Australian swamp stonecrop, Crassula helmsii (Crassulaceae)" Zootaxa, 4497, no. 4 (2018):573-585,
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4497.4.7 .
