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Title: First plant-parasitic mites (acari: eriophyoidea) recorded from Svalbard, including the description of a new species

Author
item KIEDROWICZ, AGNIESZKA - Adam Mickiewicz University
item Rector, Brian
item ZAWIERUCHA, KRZYSZTOF - Adam Mickiewicz University
item SZYDLO, WIKTORIA - Adam Mickiewicz University
item SKORACKA, ANNA - Adam Mickiewicz University

Submitted to: Polar Biology
Publication Type: Research Technical Update
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/4/2016
Publication Date: 8/1/2016
Citation: Kiedrowicz, A., Rector, B.G., Zawierucha, K., Szydlo, W., Skoracka, A. 2016. First plant-parasitic mites (acari: eriophyoidea) recorded from Svalbard, including the description of a new species. Polar Biology. 39(8):1359-1368. doi: 10.1007/s00300-015-1858-x.

Interpretive Summary: Mites in the family Eriophyidae are herbivorous arthropods that are often economically or ecologically important on their host plants. Taxonomy and distribution of these mites is of general scientific interest and is increasingly relevant to the study of changing climates worldwide. This manuscript describes a new species of mite found on the Arctic island of Svalbard, as well as a new record of another mite species found on Svalbard for the first time. These are the first plant-feeding mites recorded from Svalbard, thus expanding the breadth of organisms that are available to study the ecology of this rapidly changing region.

Technical Abstract: Eriophyoidea are minute phytophagous mites with great economic importance and great invasive potential. In spite of their impact on ecosystem functions, the knowledge of eriophyoid mites fauna in Arctic is lacking. Until now, only eight eriophyoid mite species were known from this region. Svalbard archipelago is one of the most investigated Arctic areas. Eriophyoid have never been studied before in this place, despite the fact that studies on invertebrates on Svalbard took place more than one hundred years ago. Thus, each new study of eriophyoid mites fauna in this region are important. In this paper we describe and illustrate a new species of eriophyoid mite, Cecidophyes siedleckii n. sp. We use DNA data (28S rDNA region D2) to complement traditional morphological taxonomy. Additionally, we provide a first record of Aceria saxifragae (Rostrup, 1900) from Svalbard with supplementary morphological description and illustrations. Due to climate warming, dramatic changes in tundra plant assemblages are predicted. Thus, findings of the study highlight not only taxonomic and faunistic but also the ecological importance of studying of plant parasites in the changing Arctic.