A Supplementary Description of Typhlodromina conspicua (Garman) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) From Türkiye, with Comments on Its Taxonomic Status

Abstract

Typhlodromina conspicua (Garman) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) and the genus Typhlodromina are reported from Turkiye for the first time. Many morphological details, including measurements of dorsal setae, were missing in its original description. In addition, there are inconsistencies regarding the dorsal setal lengths and number of macrosetae on leg IV among the redescriptions of this species by different authors. Most importantly, we observed five setae (pd absent) on trochanter I of this species, compared to six in many groups of the subfamily Typhlodrominae, which have been mainly reported from the Palearctic region. Therefore, a supplementary description and new illustrations of this species are provided, based on female specimens collected from Populus deltoides and P. nigra (Salicaceae) trees in Samsun Province on the Black Sea coast. In addition, the important diagnostic characters of this species are reviewed to facilitate species delimitation. Based on our examinations of two of the six known species of the genus, it appears that Typhlodromina spp. could be elevated to the level of tribe or subfamily, based on their distinctive morphological characters. However, additional molecular analysis, in combination with the use of morphological characters, would help to confirm the taxonomic status of Typhlodromina.