Eriophyoid mites (Acari: Prostigmata) from Brazil: an annotated checklist

Abstract

The superfamily Eriophyoidea constitute a group of phytophagous mites of particular economic and evolutionary interest due to their intimate association with host plants and their agricultural importance as harmful or beneficial organisms. Studies on the Eriophyoidea fauna in Brazil started in the early 1900s with botanical works on cecidias and were continued with researchers looking for and reporting on eriophyid mites causing damage to agricultural crops. Therefore, in this annotated checklist, we compile information from just over a century on eriophyid mites reported or described from Brazil. Its purpose is to facilitate plant protection strategies and guide future work on this important group of phytophagous mites. In addition to taxonomy, we present information on host plants and general aspects of cecidia attributed to eriophyoid mites but without genus/species identification. Compilation was based on: i) literature, including papers, books, theses and congress/symposium publications; ii) specimens deposited in mite collections in Brazil. On each species we present: i) suprageneric/generic classification, synonyms and previous genus/era assignments, including references on original and/or additional descriptions; ii) type host plant and other host(s) plant(s) found in the country; iii) host relationships and remarks on symptoms; iv) localities of occurrences at States/Federal District and municipal levels; and v) host plant status in Brazil as well as biomes where they occur or are cultivated. A total of 234 valid eriophyoid mite species are recorded: 196 Eriophyidae, 20 Diptilomiopidae and 18 Phytoptidae, distributed in 92 genera. Host plants comprised 233 species, belonging to 141 genera and 56 plant families. Four new reports of eriophyoid mites in Brazil are presented based on specimens deposited in reference collections. A new combination is presented for Propeaciota secundum (Flechtmann, Amrine & Stasny) in the genus Khanthongella. In addition, data on observations and descriptions of 67 cecidias attributed to eriophyoid mites in five states and on 21 plant families are presented. Geographically, the distribution of species reports of eriophyoids around Brazil is highly uneven, with more than 64% of species (151 spp.) in the Southeast region, which surely reflects a lack of research elsewhere. Regarding host plant specificity, 77.7% are reported on only one host species, 88.9% on one host genus and 98.3% on one host family. Regarding host status 64.1% of species are exclusively associated with native host plants, 27% with naturalized or exotic cultivated host plants, and 6.4% from both native and naturalized or exotic host plants.

Coextinction is magnifying the current extinction crisis, as illustrated by the eriophyoid mites and their host plants

“…comm., 16 May 2022). In addition, Navia et al (2021) reported three or more eriophyoid species from each of at least 30 plant species in Brazil. The host plants included a number of species in different genera in the family Arecaceae (palms), including eight species in six genera on the Queen palm, Syagrus romanzoffiana (Cham.)…”

“…It is highly likely that a large majority of mite diversity, including eriophyoid diversity, inhabits the tropics (Walter and Proctor 1998; Walter 2001; Tixier and Kreiter, 2009; Basset et al 2012; Navia et al 2021; Sullivan and Ozman-Sullivan 2021. A total of 234 species in 92 genera have been reported from 233 host plants in Brazil (Navia et al 2021). However, Brazil is the world's most plant rich nation, with more than 35,000 described native species (Martins et al 2017).…”

“…A checklist of the known eriophyoid species of Brazil (Navia et al 2021) contains at least five species associated with endangered or critically endangered plants. Acaphyllisa araucariae Flechtmann, Araucarioptes scutifera Flechtmann and Tecarus curinomos Flechtmann (Acari: Eriophyidae: Phyllocoptinae) were reported from the coniferous tree, Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.)…”

Mite diversity and intra-plant distribution in mango crop

“…For example, Brazil is the fourth largest mango producer worldwide and is a major mango-exporting countries (Flori & Resende 2020). However, information on mite occurrence in mango trees in Brazil is scarce, with reports restricted to only a few species (Navia et al 2010;Marei et al 2020;Navia et al 2021).…”

Global patterns of the species richness and distribution of eriophyoid mites: a response to Li et al. 2023

“…Moreover, most plant species are endemic to the tropics (Cazzolla Gatti et al, 2022; Christenhusz & Byng, 2016; Pimm & Joppa, 2015). For example, based on a checklist of eriophyoid mite species and their host plants in Brazil (Navia et al, 2021), Ozman‐Sullivan and Sullivan (2023) estimated that less than 1% of its plant species have been investigated for their eriophyoid mite fauna, based on Martins et al (2017) reporting of more than 35,000 plant species in Brazil. Projecting from the 234 eriophyoid species listed from just 233 plant species by Navia et al (2021), there may be 28,000 or more eriophyoid species in Brazil alone.…”