Oligonychus plegas Baker & Pritchard 1960

Material examined

types; non-types Taxonomy Fig. 1. Oligonychus plegas paratype adult female - detail of Subfamily Tetranychinae a. claw I on left (and claw III on right); b. claw III; c-d. claw IV. Tribe Tetranychini Common Name

none Distribution

++Australia, Fiji, *Mauritius, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Reunion, Vanuatu Fig. 2. Oligonychus plegas adult female paratype - detail of pregenital striae. Taxonomy Changes

none Diagnosis

Female empodia I-IV = curved claw (Fig. 1) pregenital striae longitudinal (Figs 2, 3) Fig. 3. Oligonychus plegas adult female (non-type, tarsus I with the sockets of four tactile setae proximal to, and one Australian) - detail of pregenital striae, and striae on genital solenidion proximal to or overlapping with, the socket of the flap. proximal duplex seta tarsus II with the sockets of three tactile setae and one solenidion proximal to, and one tactile seta overlapping with, the socket of the duplex seta peritreme ending in simple unexpanded to slightly expanded bulb (Figs 4, 5) prodorsal striae longitudinal, forming a broad U-shape posteriorly (Figs 6, 7) most dorsal striae transverse, except irregular oblique, transverse and longitudinal between opisthosomal setae f1-f1 and f1-f2 (Figs 8- 10) chaetotaxy for legs I-IV: femora 10, 6, 4, 4 Fig. 4. Oligonychus plegas paratype adult female - detail of genua 5, 5, 4, 4 peritreme tip (lower images are the same individual; arrows tibiae 10(1+0), 7, 6, 7 indicate tip). tarsi 18(3+3), 16(2+3), 10(1+0), 10(1+0)

Male empodium I = bifid claw; dorsal claw shorter and more slender than ventral claw; dorsal claw not greatly separated from ventral claw (Figs 11, 12) empodia II-IV with slender dorsal claw of equal length to proximoventral hairs, often with minute dorsal spur visible (Figs 13, 14) peritreme ending in simple slightly expanded bulb (Fig. 15) Fig. 5. Oligonychus plegas adult female (non-type, Australian) - detail of peritreme tip (arrow indicates tip). prodorsal striae longitudinal forming a U-shape posteriorly (Fig. 16) tarsus I with the sockets of four tactile and two solenidia proximal to, and one solenidion overlapping with, the socket of the proximal duplex seta tarsus II with the sockets of three tactile setae and one solenidion proximal to, and one tactile seta overlapping, the socket of the duplex seta chaetotaxy for legs I-IV: femora 10, 6, 4, 4 genua 5, 5, 4, 4 tibiae 13(4+0), 7, 6, 7 tarsi 20(5+3), 16(2+3), 10(1+0), 10(1+0) [holotype has 19(5+3) on tarsus I] aedeagus dorsally directed, weakly sigmoid with one major bend and a small distal bend; no major anterior or posterior projection Fig. 6. Oligonychus plegas paratype adult female - detail of (dorsal projection directed posteriorly at very tip); dorsal margin of prodorsal striae. shaft at approx. 30° angle to ventral margin, abruptly bent dorsally at right angle forming dorsal projection; dorsal projection finger-like, abruptly tapering distally to narrow blunt tip; tip of dorsal projection curved posteriorly; ventral margin of shaft weakly convex to more or less straight (Figs 17-23) the tip of the dorsal projection of the aedeagus of holotype changes appearance at different focal points, from small curved tapered tip to straight tapered blunt tip (see Fig. 17 - holotype illustration); all Australian specimens have a clearly curved tip (Figs 21-23) Fig. 7. Oligonychus plegas adult female (non-type, Hosts Australian) - detail of striae and lobes on prodorsum.

Various monocot hosts including: *Cocos nucifera (), Oryza sativa (), Panicum maximum (Poaceae), Saccharum sp. (Poaceae), Zea mays (Poaceae) Similar Taxa

Oligonychus aranaeum Davis 1968 Oligonychus digitatus Davis 1966 Fig. 8. Oligonychus plegas paratype adult female - detail of Oligonychus velascoi Rimando 1962 pattern of striae between setae f1 and f2 (arrow indicates irregular oblique, transverse and longitudinal striae). References

*Baker, E.W. and Pritchard, E.A. (1960) Tetranychoid of Africa. Hilgardia 29(11): 455-574 Bolland, H.R., Gutierrez, J. and Helle, W. (1981) Chromosomes in spider mites (Tetranychidae: ). Acarologia 22(3): 271-275 Bolland, H.R., Gutierrez, J. and Flechtmann, C.H.W. (1998) World catalogue of the spider family (Acari: Tetranychidae). Brill Academic Publishers, Leiden, 392 pp. Fig. 9. Oligonychus plegas adult female (non-type, Gutierrez, J. and Etienne, J. (1986) Les Tetranychidae de l'ile de la Reunion et Australian) - detail of striae between setae f1 and f2, with quelques-uns de leurs predateurs. Agronomie Tropicale, Paris 41(1): 84-91 irregular oblique, transverse and longitudinal striae. Gutierrez, J. and Schicha, E. (1984) Phytoseiidae and Tetranychoidea in Fiji and other South Pacific islands (Acari). International Journal of Entomology 26(4): 386-388 Migeon, A. and Dorkeld, F. (2006-2017) Spider Mites Web: a comprehensive database for the Tetranychidae. http://www.montpellier.inra.fr/CBGP/spmweb Schicha, E. and Gutierrez, J. (1985) Phytoseiidae of Papua New Guinea, with three new species, and new records of Tetranychidae (Acari). International Journal of Acarology 11(3): 173-181 Notes

++ Not yet officially recorded in Australia. Fig. 10. Oligonychus plegas adult female (non-type, Australian), detail of irregular striae between setae f1 and f2 Copyright © 2018. All rights reserved. (specimen not flat - two different focal points presented). Fig. 11. Oligonychus plegas holotype adult male - detail of claw I.

Fig. 12. Oligonychus plegas paratype adult male - detail of claw I.

Fig. 13. Oligonychus plegas holotype adult male - detail of claw III.

Fig. 14. Oligonychus plegas holotype adult male - detail of claw IV.

Fig. 15. Oligonychus plegas holotype adult male - detail of peritreme tip (arrow indicates tip). Fig. 16. Oligonychus plegas paratype adult male - detail of prodorsal striae.

Fig. 17. Oligonychus plegas adult male - detail of holotype and parataype aedeagus (at different focal points).

Fig. 18. Oligonychus plegas adult male holotype - detail of aedeagus at different focal points, from a. upper to f. lower.

Fig. 19. Oligonychus plegas paratype adult male - aedeagus (arrow indicates curved tip).

Fig. 20. Oligonychus plegas paratype adult male - aedeagus (arrows indicate curved tip). Fig. 21. Oligonychus plegas adult males (non-type, Australia) - detail of aedeagus.

Fig. 22. Oligonychus plegas adult male (non-type, Australian) - detail of aedeagus at different focal points (arrow indicates curved tip).

Fig. 23. Oligonychus plegas adult male (non-type, Australian) - detail of aedeagus at different focal points (arrow indicates curved tip).