Hamadi, Ali ¹ and Barbar, Ziad ²

¹Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Baath University, P.O. Box 77, Al-Sham St., Homs, Syria.
²✉ Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Baath University, P.O. Box 77, Al-Sham St., Homs, Syria.

2024 - Volume: 64 Issue: 3 pages: 907-918

Original research

Keywords

Abstract

Introduction

The knowledge of mite fauna significantly progressed in Syria over the last fifteen years. Indeed, until 2010, fifteen species from six families were known (El-Hariri, 1968; Moraes et al. 2004). Recent studies (e.g. Barbar 2016; Barbar 2018; Barbar and Negm 2022; Dayoub et al. 2024) have increased this number to approximately 120 species from 25 families. The most recorded species are phytophagous mites from the Tetranychidae and Tenuipalpidae families and their natural enemies from the Phytoseiidae, Stigmaeidae and Bdellidae families. These mites were mostly collected from citrus and apple orchards and their surrounding vegetation in Latakia province (Zriki et al. 2015; Barbar 2016; Barbar and Ueckermann 2017; Zeity 2017; Zeity et al. 2022). In Hama province, the agroecosystems are highly diversified, suggesting a high diversity of mites. However, the mite fauna in this region is poorly known with only one species from the Melicharidae (Mesostigmata) and four species from the Bdellidae (Trombidiformes) have been recorded to date (Barbar and Negm 2022; Hamadi and Barbar 2024). The aim of the present work was to identify mite species occurring in various crops and natural vegetation in Hama province, Syria.

Material and methods

Mites were collected from the leaves of cultivated plant species and wild vegetation primarily at Al-Hekr (34°54′27″N ̸36°19′29″E; 700 m a.s.l.), Hama province, Syria, from May to November 2023 and during May and June 2024. Additional plant samples were taken from four nearby localities in the same province: Ain Halakeem (34°56′20″N 36°19′15″E; 600 m a.s.l.), Al-Lakbeh (35°09′49″N 36°19′39″E; 550 m a.s.l.), Al-Haylooneh (35°08′6″N 36°16′58″E; 900 m a.s.l.) and Anboura (35°07′14″N 36°20′30″E; 450 m a.s.l.). Mites were directly picked off leaves or removed using the ''dipping-checking-washing-filtering method'' (Boller 1984). Specimens were mounted on slides in Hoyer's medium and dried in an oven at 40 °C for one week. Identification to infra-familial levels was primarily carried out using the work of Chant and McMurtry (2007) for Phytoseiidae; Zhang (2003) and Eraky and Osman (2008) for Acaridae and Histiostomatidae; Meyer and Ueckermann (1987) for Anystidae; Skvarla et al. (2014) for Cunaxidae; Wohltmann et al. (2007) and Xu et al. (2019) for Erythraeidae and Trombidiidae; Meyer and Ueckermann (1984) for Eupalopsellidae; Fan et al. (2016), Rehmani et al. (2018), and Kamran et al. (2023) for Stigmaeidae; Mesa et al. (2009) and Negm et al. (2020) for Tenuipalpidae; Bolland et al. (1998) for Tetranychidae; and Silva et al. (2016) for Tydeidae. Characters of some species were measured and drawn when necessary, with measurements given in micrometers (μm). The specimens were deposited in the Arthropod Collection of the Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Baath University, Homs, Syria. Mite taxa in the text are arranged alphabetically by order, as are families within orders, genera within families and species within genera.

Results and discussion

A total of 972 mite specimens belonging to 33 species from 12 families (1 Mesostigmata, 2 Sarcoptiformes and 9 Trombidiformes) are reported in the present study. Of these, 13 species are recorded for the first time in Syria (Table 1). Olea europaea L. (Oleaceae), Styrax officinalis L. (Styracaceae) and Pyrus communis L. (Rosaceae) had the highest number of species with 11, nine and eight species, respectively. Most of the remaining plants have 1-3 mite species (Tables 2 and 3).

Order Mesostigmata

Family Phytoseiidae

Ten species of these predators were collected in the present study.

Amblyseiella setosa Muma

One female of this species was collected from S. officinalis at Al-Hekr, May 2024. This is the first report of this species from Syria. It was considered a senior synonym of A. denmarki (El-Borolossy) and A. rusticana (Athias-Henriot) (Chant and McMurtry 2007). Except for setae j1: 28 and j3: 53, which are slightly shorter in Syrian specimen, measurements of the Syrian female match those in the redescriptions by Porath and Swirski (1965), and Ferragut et al. (2010). Kolodochka and Omeri (2010) differentiated A. antonii Kolodochka and Omeri from A. setosa and its synonym A. denmarki by having many shorter idiosomal setae (z2, z4, S2, Z4, R1, and JV5). However, the length of the setae mentioned above in A. antonii falls within the range of A. setosa, and a variation of about 20-40% in the length of several dorsal setae in A. setosa seems to be present even within the same population (Porath and Swirski 1965; Ferragut et al. 2010). Thus, A. antonii could be a junior synonym of A. setosa. An examination of the type specimen of A. antonii (which was not possible in the present work) is required to reach a definitive conclusion.

Euseius finlandicus (Oudemans)

Eighty-nine specimens (86 females, 2 males and 1 immature) were collected in July, August, and November 2023, as well as May and June 2024, from the studied localities (except Anboura). It was found on eight plant species in particularly on Quercus calliprinos L. (Fagaceae) and S. officinalis. This species has already been recorded from Castanea sp. (Fagaceae) in Tartus governorate, Syria (Ebraheem et al. 2022).

Euseius scutalis (Athias-Henriot)

Twenty specimens (7 females, 6 males and 7 immatures) were collected from O. europaea at Ain Halakeem in November 2023, and one female was collected from Pyrus syriaca Boissier (Rosaceae) at Al-Hekr in May 2023. This species has been widely collected from various crops and wild plants in the coastal region of Syria (Barbar 2013, 2014; Dayoub and Boubou 2023).

Kampimodromus aberrans (Oudemans)

This is the first record of this species from Syria. Five females were collected from four plant species: Al-Hekr: one female on Cydonia oblonga Miller (Rosaceae) in July 2023; one female on Cupressus sempervirens L. (Cupressaceae) and two females on Q. calliprinos in August 2023; Ain Halakeem: one female on S. officinalis in July 2023. This species is widely distributed in Europe and the Middle East. It has also been recorded in North Africa, Canada, and the USA (Demite et al. 2024).

Neoseiulus barkeri Hughes

Only one female of this species was collected from an unidentified herb at Al-Hekr in September 2023. It has already been recorded in the coastal region of Syria (Barbar 2013, 2016; Dayoub and Boubou 2023).

Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot

One hundred fifty-eight specimens of all mobile stages were collected from 11 plant species at Al-Hekr, Al-Lakbeh and Al-Haylooneh in June, July, August, and September 2023. More than 65% of specimens were collected from Phaseolous vulgaris L. (Fabaceae) and Solanum lycopersicum L. (Solanaceae). It has already been recorded from Latakia province, Syria, on plants highly infested by Tetranychus urticae Koch (Barbar 2016).

Phytoseius finitimus Ribaga

It was the most frequent species and found on 17 plant species in Al-Hekr, Ain Halakeem, and Anboura from June to November 2023 and in May and June, 2024. It appears to be the dominant species in the studied localities, with about 60% of specimens were collected from Celtis caucasica L. (Cannabaceae), C. sempervirens, and S. officinalis. It has already been recorded from cultivated and natural vegetation in Syria (Barbar 2016; Ebraheem et al. 2022; Dayoub and Boubou 2023).

Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) foenilis Oudemans

Only one female was collected from O. europaea at Ain Halakeem in July 2023. This species has only been recorded in a few numbers in Latakia province, Syria (Barbar 2013, 2014, Dayoub et al. 2024).

Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) intercalaris Livshitz & Kuznetsov

Three females of this species were collected from Q. calliprinos at Al-Hekr in November 2023 and June 2024. Additionally, one female was collected from O. europaea, and four females were collected from S. officinalis at Ain Halakeem in July 2023 and June 2024, respectively. This species has already been recorded in Latakia governorate, Syria (Dayoub et al. 2024).

Remarks — Specimens collected from S. officinalis and O. europaea have preanal pores and two pairs of setae on sternal shield, except for one female in which the posterior margin of this shield is unclear. Specimens collected from Q. calliprinos also have two pairs of setae on the sternal shield but lack preanal pores, and one specimen has only two pairs of preanal setae instead of three (with ZV2 off the ventrianal shield). Variations in the shape of spermathecae were also observed even among the specimens collected from the same host plant, ranging from a bell-shaped calyx with an incorporated atrium to a saccular or conus-shaped calyx with a short or indiscernible neck (Figure 1). These observations suggest that the collected specimens could represent two different species, though the possibility of synonymy with closely related species [T. (A.) invectus Chant and T. (A.) sternlichti Swirski and Amitai] cannot be excluded, and further investigations are necessary for several reasons. Firstly, a previous study (Dayoub et al. 2024) noted the difficulty in comparing this species with the holotype of T. (A.) invectus, which is in poor condition. However, the redescriptions of T. (A.) invectus (Abbasova 1970; Swirski et al. 1998) indicate the presence of two pairs of setae on sternal shield. Secondly, Abbasova (1972) and Swirski and Amitai (1997) suggested that T. (A.) invectus and T. (A.) sternlichti are synonyms. In addition, Swirski et al. (1998) excluded T. (A.) sternlichti from their key for Phytoseiidae and noted variations in the shape of spermathecae of T. (A.) invectus, similar to those observed in our specimens. Thirdly, the posterior margin of the sternal shield is not always visible and easily identifiable in some specimens, making it difficult to determine whether the sternal shield has two or three pairs of setae, as observed in one specimen in our study and one by Çobanoğlu (1993). Finally, molecular investigations and cross-breeding experiments between populations of the three species collected from host plants (with Quercus spp. being common hosts) should be conducted to verify this hypothesis.

Typhlodromus (Typhlodromus) athiasae Porath & Swirski

Twenty-one specimens of this predator were collected from four plant species at Al-Hekr and Ain Halakeem during June, July and August 2023. It is one of the most widespread species on cultivated and wild vegetation in many provinces in Syria (Dayoub et al. 2024).

Order Sarcoptiformes

Family Acaridae

Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank)

Three females of this species were collected form Salix alba L. (Salicaceae) at Al-Hekr in June 2023. It has already been recorded in Latakia province, Syria (Barbar 2016).

Family Histiostomatidae

Histiostoma camphori Eraky

One deutonymph of this species was collected from P. communis at Al-Hekr in June 2023. This is the first record of this species from Syria. It was recorded from Egypt and Saudi Arabia (Eraky 1999; Negm and Alatawi 2011).

Order Trombidiformes

Family Anystidae

Anystis baccarum (L.)

It was the most frequent predator of Trombidiforma with 32 specimens collected from 11 plant species at Al-Hekr, Al-Haylooneh and Anboura from July to September 2023. It has already been recorded in Latakia province, Syria (Dayoub et al. 2022).

Family Cunaxidae

Cunaxa anomala Khaustov & Kuznetzov

Two females of this species were found on Juglans regia Baill. (Juglandaceae) at Al-Lakbeh in July 2023 and one female was found on S. officinalis at Ain Halakeem, June 2024. It has already been recorded from Latakia province, Syria (Barbar 2016).

Family Erythraeidae

Erythraeus (Zaracarus) budapestensis Fain & Ripka

Two larvae of this species were collected from Oxalis corniculata L. (Oxalidaceae) at Al-Hekr in May 2024. This is the first record of this species from Syria. It was found in several European countries and in Iran (Karakurt et al. 2022).

Erythraeus (Zaracarus) passidonicus Haitlinger

A unique larva of this species was collected from Q. calliprinos at Al-Hekr in August 2023. Two larvae have already been recorded from Tartous province, Syria (Ebrahim and Barbar 2023).

Family Eupalopsellidae

Eupalopsis maseriensis (Canestrini & Fanzago)

One female of this species was collected from O. europaea at Ain Halakeem in August 2023. It has already been recorded from Latakia province, Syria (Barbar 2018).

Eupalopsellus prasadi Bagheri and Khanjani

Sixteen females of this species were collected from Rhus coriaria. L. (Anacardiaceae) at Al-Hekr in November 2023. This is the first record of this species from Syria and the first discovery after its original description from Iran (Bagheri and Khanjani 2009).

Family Stigmaeidae

Agistemus collyerae Gonzalez-Rodriguez

One female of this species was collected from O. europaea, at Ain Halakeem in November 2023. This is the first record of this species from Syria. It was recorded from Australia, Iran, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, and Turkey (Fan et al. 2016).

Agistemus duzgunesae Koç, Cobanoğlu & Madanlar

Two females were collected from S. alba at Al-Hekr in August 2023. It has already been recorded from Latakia province, Syria (Barbar 2018) and is known from Turkey and Greece (Koç et al. 2005; Stathakis et al. 2014).

Family Tenuipalpidae

Brevipalpus rotai (Castagnoli & Pegazzano)

Four females of this species were collected from O. europaea at Ain Halakeem in July 2023. One female has been already collected from Dittrichia viscosa, (L.) Greuter (Asteraceae) in Tartous governorate, Syria (Ebrahim and Barbar, 2023). This species is known from Greece, Italy and Turkey on O. europaea (Castro et al. 2024).

Cenopalpus irani Dosse

One female of this species was collected from R. coriaria at Al-Hekr in November 2023. This is the first record of this species from Syria. It was recorded from Iran and Turkey (Castro et al. 2024).

Cenopalpus quadricornis (Livschitz & Mitrofanov)

Four females of this species were collected from Vitis vinifera L. (Vitaceae) at Al-Hekr in June 2023. This is the first record of this species from Syria. It was recorded on a few Rosaceae in Armenia and Turkey (Castro et al. 2024).

Cenopalpus wainsteini (Livschitz & Mitrofanov)

Fifty-five females of this species were collected from C. sempervirens at Al-Hekr in June 2023 and at Ain Halakeem, August 2023. It was recorded on Pinus halepensis Mill. (Pinaceae) in Latakia province, Syria (Barbar 2016). It is known from Georgia, Greece, Italy, Peru and Ukraine (Castro et al. 2024).

Family Tetranychidae

Bryobia vasiljevi Reck

Thirty-seven females of this species were collected from Malva sp. (Malvaceae) at Al-Hekr in September 2023. It has already been recorded in Latakia province, Syria (Zriki et al. 2015; Barbar et al. 2022).

Oligonychus (Oligonychus) aceris (Shimer)

Twelve specimens (9 females, 2 males and 1 nymph) were collected from Platanus orientalis L. (Platanaceae) at Al-Hekr in August 2023. This is the first record of this species from Syria. It was also recorded in Mexico, the USA, South Korea, and Turkey (Migeon and Dorkeld 2024).

Panonychus ulmi (Koch)

Thirty-two females were collected from five plant species particularly from Malus domestica Borkh. (Rosaceae) at Al-Hekr during June, July, August and November 2023 and at Ein Halakeem in June 2024. It has already been recorded on M. domestica in Latakia province, Syria (Zriki et al. 2015; Zeity et al. 2022).

Tetranychus urticae Koch

Fifty-eight specimens of this species were collected from six plant species particularly from O. corniculata at Al-Hekr from July to September 2023.

Family Trombidiidae

Allothrombium molliculum (Koch)

Ten females were collected from four plant species particularly from Symphytum orientale L. (Boraginaceae) at Al-Hekr during June, July, September and November 2023. This is the first record of this species from Syria. It has been recorded in the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, The Netherlands, Italy and Turkey (Makol and Wohltmann 2012; Yıldırım and Sevsay 2019).

Family Tydeidae

Tydeus calabrus (Castagnoli)

Six females of this species were collected from R. coriaria and Elaeagnus angustifolia L. (Elaeagnaceae) at Al-Hekr in August 2023. This is the first record of this species from Syria. It was described from Italy (Castagnoli 1984) and also recorded from Sweden (Momen and Lundqvist 1996) and Iran (Sadeghi et al. 2012).

Tydeus californicus (Banks)

It was the most frequent tydeid species in all studied localities (except Anboura), with 106 females collected during June, August and November 2023, from six plant species particularly from P. communis. It has already been recorded in Latakia governorate, Syria (Barbar 2016). It has a worldwide distribution (Silva et al. 2016).

Tydeus kochi Oudemans

One female of this species was collected from C. sempervirens at Ain Halakeem in August 2023. This is the first record of this species from Syria. It is world-wide distributed (Silva et al. 2016).

Tydeus nieuwkerkeni André

Four females of this species were collected from R. coriaria at Al-Hekr in November 2023. This is the first record of this species from Syria. This species was found in the Netherlands, Belgium and Russia (André 2005; Khaustov 2023).

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Francisco Ferragut, Sayed A. Eraky, Hany Elkawas, Ahmad M. Dayoub, Ismail Döker, and Antoinette Badran for their comments, supplying scientific papers, and/or sending some photos of mite species during preparing the manuscript.

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