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TARSONEMID MITES ON ORNAMENTAL PLANTS
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BIOLOGICAL LETT. 2006, 43(2): 341–346
Available online at http://www.biollett.amu.edu.pl
Tarsonemid mites on ornamental plants in Poland:
new data and an overview
GABRIEL £ABANOWSKI and GRA¯YNA SOIKA
Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture, Pomologiczna 18, 96-100 Skierniewice, Poland;
e-mail: [email protected]
(Received on 13 January 2006, Accepted on 25 May 2006)
Abstract: This paper provides information about the host range and types of injuries caused by tarsonemid
mites: Phytonemus pallidus pallidus Banks, 1898, Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks, 1904) and
Steneotarsonemus laticeps (Halbert, 1923), occurring on ornamental plants in glasshouses; and
Phytonemus pallidus asteris Karl, 1965, feeding on late summer-flowering perennial asters in the field.
Key words: Phytonemus pallidus pallidus, Phytonemus pallidus asteris, Polyphagotarsonemus latus,
Steneotarsonemus laticeps, Tarsonemidae, glasshouse plants, perennial asters
INTRODUCTION
In Poland, up to now, four species of tarsonemid mites as pests have been
recorded on ornamental plants. All the species cause severe damages to leaves and
flowers of plants belonging to different families. This paper presents an overview of
tarsonemid mites occurring on ornamental plants in Poland.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
We collected samples of damaged plants in 1982–2005 in commercial glasshouses and perennial nurseries located in different parts of Poland. In the laboratory,
we examined the samples for the presence of tarsonemid mites under laboratory conditions. Mite individuals were mounted in Hoyer or Heinze media, and studied under a phase-contrast microscope.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Phytonemus pallidus pallidus Banks, 1898 – cyclamen mite. It is known as
polyphagous on ornamental plants of various families all over the world. For example,
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in Connecticut (USA) it has a broad host range and can feed on African violets (Saintpaulia ionantha), cyclamens, dahlias, gloxinias (Sinningia spp.), ivy (Hedera helix),
snapdragons (Antirrhinum spp.), vincas, chrysanthemums, geraniums (Pelargonium
spp.), fuchsias, begonias and petunias in glasshouses. It can also attack delphiniums,
aconites, chrysanthemums, verbenas and violas outdoors (PUNDT 2005). In Poland
we observed it only on azaleas (Czechowice-Dziedzice, 1 Oct’99) and chrysanthemums (Skierniewice, 2 Sep’94; 3 Sep’96; 28 Aug’97). It fed on flower buds and on
the lower surface of the youngest leaves. Damaged flower buds may not open at all
and flower petals are shrivelled and discoloured. Infested leaves curl inwards, looking wrinkled, and are brittle or appear streaked. Adult mites are very small, shiny
and elliptic in shape, females translucent yellow to orange, whereas males light brown.
According to KARL (1965), lengths of the body and setae depend on host plants;
females are 225.7–257.4 :m long and 104–118.4 :m wide, with seta scapularis
95.4–96.7 :m long and seta verticalis of 24.1–27.2 :m long, whereas males are
139.7–152.7 :m long and 84.5–89.2 :m wide, with seta scapularis 77.1–78.5 :m
long and seta verticalis externa of 14.2–16.6 :m long.
Phytonemus pallidus asteris Karl, 1965 – Michaelmas daisy mite. It is
monophagous on Aster spp. For the first time found under field conditions on Aster
dumosus in Germany, it was described as a new subspecies (KARL 1965). Males of
Ph. pallidus asteris (Fig. 1A) and Ph. pallidus fragariae (Fig. 2A) are similar, but
they are distinguished mainly by the length of seta scapularis (average 59.5 :m vs.
69.2 :m) and seta verticalis externa (average 9.7 :m vs. 12.6 :m, respectively). In
females of both subspecies, the difference in length of setae is not significant. In
)
*
Fig. 1. Phytonemus pallidus asteris: A – male; B – female
TARSONEMID MITES ON ORNAMENTAL PLANTS
)
*
Fig. 2. Phytonemus pallidus fragariae: A – male; B – female
)
*
Fig. 3. Polyphagotarsonemus latus: A – male; B – female
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*
Fig. 4. Steneotarsonemus laticeps: A – male; B – female
Poland this mite was discovered for the first time in the Botanical Garden in Powsin
near Warsaw (SOIKA et al., 2004). Serious damage was observed on Aster dumosus
cv. Peter Harrison, Nancy, Mount Everest (4 May’00) and on Aster novi-belgiii cv.
Climax, Blue Eyes, Countess of Dudlet, Nancy Ballard (19 Oct’01). This mite feeds
by sucking sap inside developing flower buds and shoot tips on unfolding leaflets of
late summer-flowering perennial asters, except Aster novae-angliae and A. amellus,
which are more resistant. The most obvious symptom of pest occurrence is poor flowering; many blooms are converted into rosettes of small leaves due to the mites’
feeding within the developing buds. Infested plants are also stunted and have brownish
scarring on the stems.
Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks, 1904) – broad mite. It is polyphagous on
a wide assortment of ornamentals and some vegetable crops under covers. For
example, in Connecticut (USA) it has a wide host range and can feed on African
violets, ageratums, begonias, cyclamens, dahlias, gerberas, gloxinias, hibiscus, ivy,
jasmine, impatiens, New Guinea impatiens, lantanas, marigolds (Tagetes spp.), snapdragons, verbenas and zinnias (PUNDT 2005). Some more ornamental host species
were found by DENMARK (2000): Aphelandra sp., Cissus discolor, C. rotundifolia,
Codiaeum variegatum, Fatsia japonica, Hoya carnosa, Pelargonium sp., Peperomia
sp., Plectranthus australis, Schefflera arboricola. In Poland it has become common
since 1982, when it was imported from the Netherlands on gerbera seedlings
(£ABANOWSKI et al. 1990). Up to now, we have observed it on 16 species of plants
belonging to 14 families (Table 1). The broad mite feeds on the newest growth, causing malformation of the terminal leaves. They are severely stunted, hardened and curl
down at the edges with brownish or reddish lower surfaces, depending on host spe-
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Table 1. Records of the broad mite (Polyphagotarsonemus latus) on ornamental plants in commercial
glasshouses in Poland
Plant family and species
Locality and date
Acanthaceae
Aphelandra squarosa
£ódŸ, 27 Sep’00
Amaranthaceae
Celosia cristata
Kraków, 11 Jun’99
Araceae
Anthurium x hortulanum
Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, 15 Mar’99
Araliaceae
Fatshedera x lizei
Hedera helix
Schefflera arboricola
Asteraceae
Gerbera jamesonii
Balsaminaceae
Impatiens noviguinea
Begoniaceae
Begonia elatior
Bignoniaceae
Radermachera sinica
Wieliszew near Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, 7 Oct’97;
Mys³owice near Katowice, 30 Nov’90; Pabianice, 6 Oct’90;
Skierniewice, 3 Feb’93, 11 Oct’2005; Wieliszew, 7 Oct’97
Ró¿anki near Gorzów, 6 Oct’90; Pruhonice near Praha,
23 Jun’87
Czêstochowa, 28 Sep’85; Ka³uszyn near Siedlce, 5 Aug’91;
Kraków, 8 Aug’00; £ódŸ, 17 Apr’85; 13 Jan’97, 28 Oct’88;
Pabianice near £ódŸ, 26 Sep’91; Skierniewice, 26 Jun’94;
16 Sep’05
Opole, 5 Jul’04; Warsaw, 10 Apr’06
Kraków, 11 Jun’99; £ódŸ, 27 Aug’00; Skierniewice,
9 Oct’01, 13 Sep’05; Wola Warszawska, 18 May’03
Skierniewice, 28 Nov’97; Wieliszew near Nowy Dwór
Mazowiecki, 28 Aug’97; Wola Warszawska, 11 Jul’98
Gesneriaceae
Sainpaulia ionantha
Wola Warszawska, 18 May’03
Nyctaginaceae
Bougainvillea sp.
Skierniewice, 21 Oct’05
Piperaceae
Peperomia magnoliaeofolia
Skierniewice, 29 Oct’01
Primulaceae
Cyclamen persicum
Skierniewice, 6 Dec’01
Solanaceae
Solanum capsicastrum
Wieliszew near Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, 7 Oct’97
Vitaceae
Cissus antarctica
Mys³owice near Katowice, 30 Nov’90
cies. The body of males (Fig. 3A) is oval, 168 :m long, broadest at mid-length
(97 :m), prodorsum with 3–4 pairs of dorsal setae (DENMARK 2000).
Steneotarsonemus laticeps (Halbert, 1923) – bulb scale mite. It is oligophagous on plants of the family Amaryllidaceae. In Britain it is a pest of narcissus bulbs,
which causes brown scars on one or more of the bulb scales in the neck region in
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the dormant period, it deforms leaves (giving a “saw-edge” effect) and reduces the
quality of flowers (LANE 1979). In Poland it was found for the first time on Hippeastrum sp. on 14 Mar’84 (£ABANOWSKI et al. 1990) and it was sampled from narcissus bulbs imported from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Germany
(KARNKOWSKI 1995). Up to now we also have observed the damage on Eucharis sp.
and Narcissus sp. imported from the Netherlands. The males (Fig. 4A) have 4 pairs
of prodorsal setae; femur IV does not have any flange-like process on the inner margin; the tactile seta on tibia IV is short and not as long as the femoral segment. The
gnathosoma is subcircular and the third pair of prodorsal setae are 2/3 as long as the
width of the gnathosoma. The body of females is elongate, legs I and II are widely
separated from legs III and IV. There are 2 pairs of prodorsal hair-like setae (JEPPSON et al. 1975).
CONCLUSIONS
1. On ornamental plants in glasshouses, we recorded 3 species of tarsonemid
mites as pests: Polyphagotarsonemus latus, very common on many cut flowers and
potted plants; Phytonemus pallidus pallidus, very rare on azaleas and chrysanthemum, not found on cyclamens; and Steneotarsonemus laticeps, associated with
amaryllidaceous plants, mainly Hippeastrum spp.
2. Phytonemus pallidus asteris causes serious damage in the field on late summer-flowering perennial asters: Aster dumosus and A. novi-belgii.
Acknowledgments: We thank Dr WOJCIECH MAGOWSKI, A. Mickiewicz University, Poznañ, for
identification of Phytonemus pallidus asteris.
REFERENCES
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Associate editor: ANNA SKORACKA