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Title: A catalog of Tenuipalpidae Berlese of the world (Acari: Prostigmata)

Author
item MESA, NORA - UNIVERSIDAD DE COLOMBIA
item Ochoa, Ronald - Ron
item WELBOURN, W - FLORIDA DEPT OF AGRIC
item EVANS, GREGORY - ARS, APHIS-PPQ, BARC
item MORAES, GILBERTO - UNIV DE SAO PAULO

Submitted to: Zootaxa
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/20/2007
Publication Date: 4/1/2009
Citation: Mesa, N.C., Ochoa, R., Welbourn, W.C., Evans, G.A., Moraes, G.J. 2009. A catalog of Tenuipalpidae Berlese of the world (Acari: Prostigmata). Zootaxa. 2098:1-185.

Interpretive Summary: Flat mites, also known as false spider mites, are plant feeding mites that comprise some of the major pests of fruit crops, ornamentals, trees and grasses. Several species are known to vector plant viruses. These mites often go unnoticed because of their small size and cryptic behaviour of hiding in the cracks and crevices of their plant hosts. The importance of this catalog is to report and update information on the number of species, plant host associations, distribution and world references to the species of Tenuipalpidae known worldwide. This study will be a key reference for biologists, entomologists and persons involved in mite systematics and plant protection.

Technical Abstract: The family Tenuipalpidae is worldwide in distribution and includes several economically important pest species. Species of the genus Brevipalpus have been identified as vectors of rhabdoviruses that cause diseases such as citrus leprosis, coffee ring spot virus, passion fruit green spot virus and others which reduce the production and life span of plants. An updated list of the Tenuipalpidae (Acari: Prostigamta), a key to the genera of the world and data on zoogeographical distribution of the species are presented. The catalogue provides information on 875 known species (including 3 species incertae sedis) belonging to 31 genera. The valid name of each species, the author, date and page of the corresponding original description, type locality and host, species designation(s), references to species redescription(s) and other complementary information are presented. Indices of the plant hosts species and families associated with each species, the number and regional distribution of species in each genus, and a list of relative publications of species from each of the geographical regions are included.