Abstract. Adult female Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acari, Phytoseiidae) of one of our laboratory populations showed a lower degree of attraction to herbivore-induced plant volatiles than other laboratory populations. We hypothesized earlier that this consistent change in foraging behavior is a symptom of a disease, as it is a contagious phenomenon. Here we describe more symptoms by comparing mated females of this population (non-responding (NR) population) with mated females of other populations that are strongly attracted to herbivore-induced plant volatiles (responding populations). The most apparent characteristic of the NR population was the presence of numerous dorso-ventrally flattened females (76% of all females). These females had a normal size after mating but shrank during adulthood. Independent of their age, shrunken females did not reproduce and died a few days after shrinking. In addition to these profound differences in short term performance, females from the NR-population showed behavioral changes, including a lower degree of attraction to herbivore-induced plant volatiles, a higher tendency to leave a prey-patch and a lower predation rate. Moreover, about half of the live females of the NR-population carried birefringent dumbbell-shaped crystals in the legs whereas live females of a responding population carried crystals only in the lumen of the Malpighian tubules and the rectum. The symptom 'crystals in the legs' was correlated with low reproduction. Energy dispersive X-ray diffraction of these crystals revealed that they contain calcium and phosphorus along with carbon and oxygen. Crystals with comparable elemental compositions and the same characteristic concentric layering are well known in insects, where they are thought to play a major role in detoxification of calcium and heavy metals, and in storage of phosphorus. The fraction of predators carrying a white spot in the distal part of the opisthosoma, due to accumulation of excretory material in the rectum, was the same in both populations. Present results are discussed in the context of mite pathology and biological control.

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A Gram-positive, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacterium, strain CSCT, was isolated from diseased, surface-sterilized specimens of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot and subjected to polyphasic taxonomic analysis. Comparative analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that the strain was a new member of the family Micrococcaceae. Nearest phylogenetic neighbours were determined as Renibacterium salmoninarum (94·0 %), Arthrobacter globiformis (94·8 %) and Arthrobacter russicus (94·6 %). Although the predominant fatty acids (anteiso C15 : 0), cell-wall sugars (galactose, glucose) and polar lipids (diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol) are in accordance with those of members of the genus Arthrobacter, strain CSCT can be distinguished from members of the genus Arthrobacter by biochemical tests, the absence of a rod–coccus life cycle and the occurrence of the partially saturated menaquinone MK-10(H2) as the predominant menaquinone. The DNA G+C content is 57·7 mol%. On the basis of morphological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic differences from other species of the Micrococcaceae, a novel genus and species are proposed, Acaricomes phytoseiuli gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain is CSCT (=DSM 14247T=CCUG 49701T).

Adult female Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acari, Phytoseiidae) of one of our laboratory populations (=NR-population), show the following set of symptoms: predators shrink several days after mating, cease egg production and die several days after shrinking, show a lower degree of attraction to herbivore-induced plant volatiles and a shorter choice time in olfactometer tests, have the tendency to leave a prey patch with ample food, may carry excretory crystals in the legs, may cease prey consumption, and have a lower excretion rate. We hypothesized earlier that this characteristic syndrome, called nonresponding (=NR-) syndrome, is caused by a pathogen infecting P. persimilis. To further support this hypothesis we here study several transmission modes of the factor causing the NR-syndrome. In all tests we measured size, short-term fecundity, mortality, predator position, response to plant odors and crystal location, thus including 6 of the 9 symptoms known yet. No evidence was found for vertical transmission from parent to offspring. Eggs from symptomatic females of the NR-population mated by males of the NR-population gave rise to normal-sized, well performing predators, when they had been surface sterilized or transferred to a new leaf. However, such eggs gave rise to shrunken females (17%) when left on the leaf where they had been laid. In the latter case transmission via products deposited on the leaf by the mothers was possible. We therefore tested several modes of horizontal transmission by exposing females of a commercial population that never showed the NR-syndrome (=R1-population) to products related to the symptomatic NR-population. No evidence was found for transmission via food or via squashed adult females. However, symptoms were induced in adult females of the R1-population after a 3-day exposure to a live adult female of the NRpopulation (incubation period=3-7 days, fraction shrunken females=53%) and after a 1-day exposure to feces and debris collected from such females (incubation period=2-4 days, fraction shrunken females=65%). Contact with live females and feces of the R1-population did not induce the syndrome. These results clearly indicate that the NR-syndrome is a contagious phenomenon and that the factor inducing the syndrome is transmitted horizontally among and between generations via feces and debris deposited by symptomatic females. The results are discussed in the context of mite pathology and biological control.

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