ILLUSTRATION OF SOME MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES IMPORTANT FOR IDENTIFICATION OF RHYNCHOPOLIPUS RHYNCHOPHORI (EWING) (ACARI: PODAPOLIPIDAE)

About authors:

Di Palma A., Università degli Studi di Foggia, Dipartimento delle Scienze Agrarie degli Alimenti e dell’Ambiente, Via Napoli 25 – 71100 Foggia, Italy

Porcelli F., Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Dipartimento delle Scienze del Suolo, della Pianta e degli Alimenti, Via G. Amendola, 165/A 70126 Bari, Italy

Annotation:

Rhynchopolipus rhynchophori (Ewing) (Acari: Podapolipidae) is an ectoparasite of the palm weevils, Rhynchophorus palmarum L. and Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier), whose implications in the biological control of the weevils are acquiring more and more interest. Hence there is a need to discern this mite species and others species, which can be found on the palm weevils. In this paper, species-specific morphological features are illustrated using scanning electron microscopy, having in mind people inexperienced in mite morphology and systematics. Some morphological aspects of the male copulatory organ and its morphological relationship with the gnathosoma are illustrated here for the first time.

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