Neoseiulus longispinosus (Evans)

K, Moustapha Touré, KwadjoK, Koffi Eric, DoumbiaK, Mamadou & KreiterK, Serge, 2025, New records of species of the family Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) from Ivory Coast, Acarologia 65 (1), pp. 3-35 : 6-7

Neoseiulus longispinosus (Evans)

Typhlodromus longispinosus Evans 1952: 413 ; Evans 1953: 465 ; Womersley 1954: 177 ; Ehara

1958: 55.

Typhlodromus (Amblyseius) longispinosus, Chant 1959: 74 .

Amblyseius longispinosus, Corpuz & Rimando 1966: 129 ; Schicha 1975: 103.

Neoseiulus longispinosus, Moraes et al. 1986: 85 ; 2000: 245 ; Chant & McMurtry 2003: 37 ; Moraes et al. 2004b: 129 ; Chant and McMurtry 2007: 29.

This species belongs to the barkeri species group and to the womersleyi species subgroup, as the calyx is markedly constricted at the junction with the atrium, the atrium is deeply forked at the junction with the major duct, and the major duct, atrium, and calyx are not of the same width ( Chant and McMurtry 2003).

This species is widely distributed in many countries of the world, mainly in tropical areas ( Moraes et al. 2000 ; Mailloux et al. 2010 ; Kreiter et al. 2013, 2018 a, c; Demite et al. 2024).

It was found rarely in surveys made in Guadeloupe, Martinique and La Réunion, except in studies on companion plants in citrus orchards ( Mailloux et al. 2010 ; Kreiter et al. 2013, 2018c ; Le Bellec et al., unpub. data). The species seems to be more common on weeds with populations of tetranychid mites. Neoseiulus longispinosus , a type II phytoseiid predatory mite, like N. californicus ( McMurtry et al. 2013) , has received increasing attention in Asia since 2010 for the control of different spider mites (of genera Eutetranychus , Oligonychus , and Tetranychus ) ( Nusartlert et al. 2011). The feeding, development, predation, cannibalism, intra-guild predation and behaviour have been extensively studied by several authors (see for exampleLuong et al. 2017) for pest control purposes. Neoseiulus longispinosus is well-known as a BCAused in many countries worldwide for spider mite management. A recent study by Huyen et al. (2017) have shown that, at least in controlled laboratory conditions, N. longispinosus is apotential biological control agent against the citrus red mite, P. citri .

Tetranychus urticae is a major pest of papaya in south Florida, where Neoseiulus longispinosus , a newly naturalized predator, has become the most abundant predator associated with this pest. Single releases of N. longispinosus significantly suppressed TSSM populations. That study demonstrated that N. longispinosus has the potential to control TSSM on papaya, but the level of control can be negatively affected by high levels of cannibalism at low prey densities, as well as intraguild predation by aggressive intraguild predators, like A. swirskii ( Döker et al. 2021) .

This is the first record of this species in Ivory Coast.

Specimens examined — 45 ♀♀ and 1 ♂ collected between 14/III/2017 and 10/III/2018

in Abidjan, Anyama Ahoue (aasl 42 m, Lat 5°26′00.87″N, Long 3°55′00.60″W), on Carica papaya L.

World distribution — Australia, China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan), Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Grande Comore Island ( Comoros), Guadeloupe Island ( France), Hawaii, Hong Kong, India (Andaman Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar Pradesh, Kerala, Orissa, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh), Indonesia, Japan, Les Saintes Islands ( France), Malaysia, Marie-Galante Island ( France), Martinique ( France), New Zealand, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, La Réunion Island ( France), Rodrigues Island ( Mauritius), Russia (Primorsky Territory), Saint-Barthélémy Island ( France), South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, USA (Florida), Vietnam.

Remarks — The measurements of the female and male specimens from Ivory Coast ( Table 1 and 2) overlap with those obtained from populations in various countries. These measurements are close to those obtained for specimens from FCI and La Réunion Island.