First Record of Phoretic Mite from Red Palm Weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugiuneus (Olivier,1790) from Basrah, Southern Iraq

Shurooq  Abdullah Najim; Hussain Ali Jabbar; Basil Yousuf Mahdi

doi:10.30526/37.1.3129

Authors

Shurooq Abdullah Najim department of Ecology, College of Science, Al-Basrah University, Iraq
Hussain Ali Jabbar Department of Plant Protection, Basrah Agriculture Directorate, Basrah, Iraq.
Basil Yousuf Mahdi Department of Plant Protection, Basrah Agriculture Directorate, Basrah, Iraq.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30526/37.1.3129

Keywords:

Centrouropoda spp, Uroobovella spp, date palm, red palm weevil., Basrah, Iraq

Abstract

The red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790), which belongs to the family Curculionidae, order Coleoptera, is one of the most important palm pests, which leads to heavy losses in date palms. In the last few years, it has been recorded in Iraq, from Safwan city south of Iraq, where it was detected on date palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera L, Arecales: Arecaceae). In the current study, specimens of adult weevils were collected from infested date palms (Phoenix dactylifera), that showed signs of infection in Safwan district, south of Basra province. The results of the investigation showed the presence of phoretic mites associated with the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790). Two genera of Uropodid mites, deutonymph, were attached by anal pedicel to body parts of adult red palm weevils. They were collected and identified as Centrouropoda (Uropodidae), and Uroovbovella (Urodinychidae), according to accurate taxonomic keys. The differentiation between two genera of mites was studied. The deutonymphs were examined and photographed by an AM Scop camera installed on a light microscope, and the insects were photographed by a LEICA microscope. The infestation symptoms were illustrated with pictures.

References

Murphy, S.T.; Briscoe, B.R. The red palm weevil as an alien invasive: Biology and the prospects for biological control as a component of IPM. Biocontrol News Inf., 1999; 20, 35-45.

Alderawii, M.M.; Alyousuf, A.A.; Hasan, S.A.; Mohammed, J.K.; Jappar, H.A.; Paudyal, S. An evaluation of invasive pest, red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790) (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) population in Iraq. Bull. Iraq nat. Hist. Mus., 2020; 16, 2, 203-218.

Abdel-Baky, N.F.; Aldeghairi, M.A.; Motawei, M.I.; Al-Shuraym, L.A.M.; Al-Nujiban, A.A.S.; Alharbi, M.T.M.; Rehan, M. (2022). Monitoring of infestation percentages of the invasive red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), and management tactics: a six-year study. Revista brasleira de biologia, 2022; 82, e263707.

Manee, M.M.; Alqahtani, F.H.; Al-Shomrani, B.M.; El-Shafie, H.A.F.; Dias, G.B. Omics in the Red Palm Weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): A Bridge to the Pest. Insects, 2023; 14, 3, 255.

Aletby, M. First record of red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790) on the date palm, Phoenix dactylifera in Basrah, Iraq. Basrah J. Agric. Sci., 2016; 29, 1, 1–6.

Khazaal, F.A.K.; Ameen, M.K.M.; Ali, A.H. Pathogenic fungi a companied with sudden decline syndrome (wilting disease) of date palm tree (Phoenix dactylifera L.). Basrah J. Sci., 2019; 37, 3, 376-397.

Alnajjar, M.A.H.; Neamah, W.H.; Alapresam, W.F.F.; Al-Dulaimi, F.H. Interaction indicators between plant and environment date palm (phoenix dactylifera) as an example. Europ. J. Agric. Rural Edu., 2022; 3, 5, 1-10.

Ferry, M.; Gómez, S. The red palm weevil in the Mediterranean area. Palms, 2002; 46, 4, 171-178.

Fronhofer, E.A.; Sperr, E.B.; Kreis, A.; Ayasse, M.; Poethke, H.J.; Tschapka, M. Picky hitch-hikers: vector choice leads to directed dispersal and fat-tailed kernels in a passively dispersing mite. Oikos, 2013; 122, 8, 1254–1264. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2013.00503.x

Borges, R.M. Phoresy involving insects as riders or rides: life history, embarkation, and disembarkation. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am., 2022; 115, 3, 219–231.

Wiśniewski, J.; Hirschmann, W. Gangsystematik der Parasitiformes Teil 548. Katalog der Ganggattungen, Untergattungen, Gruppen und Arten der Uropodiden der Erde. Acarologie. Schriftenreihe für Vergleichende Milbenkunde, 1993; 40, 1-220.

Kontschán, J. Sinharaja gen. n., a new Uropodina mite genus from Sri Lanka with description of two new species (Acari: Mesostigmata: Uropodidae). Biologia 68/1: 150-154, 2013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-012-0136-4

Halliday, R.B. Catalogue of genera and their type species in the mite Suborder Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata). Zootaxa, 2015; 3972, 2, 101–147. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3972.2.1

Alatawi, F.J.; Kerman, M.; Mirza, J.H. Mesostigmatic mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) of Saudi Arabia (excluding Phytoseioidae) new records and a key to the known species. Zootaxa, 2018; 4388, 3, 373-394. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4388.3.4

Geomez-macro, F.; Klopmen, H.; Hoodle, M. Phoretic mite infestations associated with Rhynchophorus palmarum (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Southern California. Syst. Appl. Acarol., 2021; 26, 10.

Hoddle, M.S.; Johansen, G.; Kast, E.; Lopez, A.M.; Shaw, M.M. Four new palm species records for Rhynchophorus palmarum (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in California. Florida Entomol., 2021; 104, 2, 143-144.

Bajerlein, D.; Buoszyk, J. Phoresy of Uropoda orbicularis (Acari: Mesostigmata) by beetles (Coleoptera) associated with cattle dung in Poland. Europ. J. Endocrinol., 2004; 101, 185-188. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2004.022

Lokela, J.C.; Goff, J.G.; Kayisu, K.; Hence, T. Phoretic mites associated with Rhynchophorus phoenicis Fabricius (1880) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Kisangani region, D.R. Congo. Acarologia, 2021; 61, 2, 291-296.

Bajerlein, D.; Błoszyk, J.; Halliday, B.; Konwerski, S. Hitchhiking through life: a review of phoresy in Uropodina mites (Parasitiformes: Mesostigmata), Europ. Zool. J., 2024; 91, 1, 31-63.

Dilipkumar, M.; Ahadiyat, A.; Masan, P.; Chuah, T.S. Mite (Acari) associated with Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Malaysia, with a revised list of the mites found on this weevil. J. Asian-pacific Entomol., 2015; 18, 169-147. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aspen.2014.12.010

Abo-Shnaf, R.I.; Allam, S.F. A new species of Centrouropoda (Acari: Uropodidae: Uropodina), with a key to the world species of the genus. Zootaxa, 2019; 4706, 4, 501-516. 4

Slimane-Kharrat, S.; Ouali, O. Mites associated with the red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) in Tunisia. Tunisian J. Plant Protect., 2019; 14, 2, 29-38.

Sarjan, M.; Handri. Morphological characters and distribution of mites in strobery plant (Fragaria Vesca L.) in high land Sembalun. IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci., 2022; 1107, 012121.

Yang, H.; Yang, Z.; Dong, W. Morphological Identification and Phylogenetic Analysis of Laelapin Mite Species (Acari: Mesostigmata: Laelapidae) from China. Korean J Parasitol., 2022; 60, 4, 273-279.

Pekağirbaş, M.; Karakuş, M.; Yilmaz, A.; Erişöz Kasap, Ö.; Sevsay S.; Özbel Y.; Töz S.; Doğan, S. Two parasitic mite species on Phlebotominae sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) from Türkiye: Biskratrombium persicum (Microtrombidiidae) and Eustigmaeus johnstoni (Stigmaeidae). Acarol. Studies, 2023; 5, 1, 11-16.

Al-Deeb, M.; Bin Muzaffar, S.; Abugala, A.M.; Sharif, E.Y. Distribution and abundance of phoretic mites (Astigmata, Mesostigmata) on Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Florida Entomol., 2011; 94, 4, 748-755. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1653/024.094.0403

Cardoza, Y.J.; Moser, J.C.; Klepzig, K.D.; Raffa, K.F. Multipartite among fungi, mites, nematodes, and the spruce beetle, Dendroctonus rufipennis. Environ. Entomol. 2008; 37, 956-963. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/37.4.956

Mazza, A.; Cini, R.; Cervo, A.; Longo, S. Reduced life span in red palm weevils Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) infested by the mite Centrouropoda almerodai (Uroactiniinae:Uropodina). Italian J. Zool., 2011; 78, 101-105. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/11250003.2010.509135

Hofstetter, R.W.; Moser, J.C. The role of mites in insect-fungus associations. Ann. Rev. Entomol., 2014; 59, 537-557. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ento-011613-162039

Horn, C.J.; Liang, C.; Luong, L.T. Parasite preferences for large host body size can drive overdispersion in a fly-mite association. Int. J. Parasitol., 2023; 53, 7, 327–332.