Mites parasitizing aphids in the parks and gardens of Aydin, with eight newly recorded mite species for Turkey and re-description of Allothrombium clavatum (Acari: Trombidiidae)

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the mites parasitizing aphids in the park and gardens in Aydin city between March 2019 and June 2020. As a result, a total of 1276 mite larvae were collected and 12 species were identified. Eight species, Allothrombium clavatum, A. polikarpi (Trombidiidae), Erythraeus (Erythraeus) phalangoides, E. (E.) uhadi, Erythraeus (Zaracarus) coleopterus, E. (Z.) iranicus, E. (Z.) kurdistaniensis (Erythraeidae) and Lassenia novoseljensis (Tanaupodidae), are new records to the Turkish fauna. The larvae of the mites were ectoparasites of 10 different aphid species: Aphis (Aphis) craccivora, A. (A.) nerii, Aulacorthum (Aulacorthum) solani, Brachycaudus (Appelia) tragopogonis, Hyalopterus pruni, Hyperomyzus (Hyperomyzus) lactucae, Macrosiphoniella (Macrosiphoniella) sanborni, Myzus (Nectarosiphon) persicae, Uroleucon (Uroleucon) sonchi, U. (U.) aeneum (Hemiptera: Aphididae). Erythraeus (E.) ankaraicus was the most common with a rate of 42.4% followed by A. triticium with 22.9% and E.(E.)phalangoideswith 19.7%. Most of the mites were collected from Uroleucon (U.) sonchi with a rate of 69.4%, followed by H. pruni with 8.5% and Aulacorthum (A.) solani with 6.0%. The mites were collected mostly in the spring with 86.9% and of which 51.9% was obtained in May. Allothrombium clavatumis also re-described and some data for collected species are corrected.