Anibal R. Oliveira

Toxicological evaluation of genetically modified cotton (Bollgard®) and Dipel® WP on the non-target soil mite Scheloribates praeincisus (Acari: Oribatida)

Insecticides derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and plants genetically modified (GM) to express B.thuringiensis toxins are important alternatives for insect pest control worldwide. Risk assessment of B.thuringiensis toxins to non-target organisms has been extensively studied but few toxicological tests have considered soil invertebrates. Oribatid mites are one of the most diverse and abundant arthropod groups in the upper layers of soil and litter in natural and agricultural systems. These mites are exposed to the toxic compounds of GM crops or pesticides mainly when they feed on vegetal products incorporated in the soil. Although some effects of B. thuringiensis products on Acari have been reported, effects on oribatid mites are still unknown. This study investigated the effects of the ingestion of Bt cotton Bollgard® and of the B. thuringiensis commercial product Dipel® WP on the pantropical species Scheloribates praeincisus (Scheloribatidae). Ingestion of Bollgard and Dipel did not affect adult and immature survivorship and food consumption (estimated by number of fecal pellets produced daily) or developmental time of immature stages of S. praeincisus. These results indicate the safety of Bollgard and Dipel to S. praeincisus under field conditions where exposition is lower and other food sources besides leaves of Bt plants are available. The method for toxicological tests described here can be adapted to other species of Oribatida, consisting on a new option to risk assessment studies.

Phytoseiid mites of the genus Neoseiulus Hughes (Acari: Phytoseiidae) from sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract Thirty phytoseiid mite species of the genus Neoseiulus Hughes are reported from sub-Saharan Africa. Ten of these species are described for the first time and 14 nominal species are redescribed. Most of the species were collected from cassava groves in tropical Africa and from other habitats in South Africa. A key is included to distinguish these species and six other species known to occur in the region but not evaluated in this study.

A new species of myrmecophile mite of the genus Oplitis (Acari: Mesostigmata: Oplitidae) from Brazil

Abstract Oplitis apicalis sp. nov. (Uropodina: Oplitidae) is described from three related species of ants in the genus Neoponera Emery, 1901 (Formicidae: Ponerinae) from the state of Bahia, northeastern Brazil. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:05CF98A6-BCB5-4991-96EB-F7B699E9D970

A new species of the genus Typhlodromips De Leon (Acari: Phytoseiidae) from the state of Bahia, Brazil.

ABSTRACT A new species of Phytoseiidae, Typhlodromips theobromae n. sp., is described from the leaves of cocoa, Theobroma cacao L. (Sterculiaceae), and mango, Mangifera indica L. (Anacardiaceae), from the State of Bahia, northeastern Brazil.

Some oribatid mites (Acari, Oribatida) from the State of São Paulo, Brazil

A survey was conducted in three sites from northern and mid-eastern regions of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, to determine oribatid mite composition in patches of seasonal semideciduous forest and soybean crop plantation. A list of 52 taxa, 24 at the species level and 28 only at the genus level, is given, 27 of which are new records for the region.

Three new species of phytoseiid mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) from Bahia State, Brazil

During a survey of predatory mites on cocoa cropping areas in Bahia State, north-eastern Brazil, three undescribed species of Phytoseiidae were collected on natural vegetation associated with crops. Typhlodromips baculiductus n. sp., Graminaseius bahiensis n. sp. and Typhlodromalus annulatus n. sp. are described and diagnosed. Comments on the boundary between the genera Amblydromalus Chant & McMurtry and Typhlodromalus Muma are also included.

A Checklist Of The Oribatid Mite Species (Acari: Oribatida) Of Brazil

A checklist of the oribatid mite species reported in Brazil is presented, including all published records up to 2015. A total of 576 described species in 206 genera and 83 families is presented. Information includes the names by which each species was reported in the Brazilian literature, its general known distribution and by Brazilian States, references, and remarks, when needed. As with most countries, there was a slow early accumulation of knowledge but in recent decades the pace of description has been relatively high. A graphical overview of the number of described oribatid mite species from Brazil in different decades is given. The proportion contributed by each of the major oribatid groups is generally similar to that of the overall world fauna, with a composition that reflects the South American fauna and all of the Neotropics in general. There is a relatively low percentage of primitive mites (Palaeosomata, Enarthronota) other than Lohmanniidae and Mesoplophoridae, which are quite diverse. The Brachypylina comprises about 68% of the oribatid mite fauna. In the checklist, 41% of the species are known only from Brazil, 37% from the Neotropical region, 13.5% have a wider distribution in the global tropical and subtropical regions, and 8.5% are considered cosmopolitan or semicosmopolitan species. The number of descriptions of new species since 2000 from Brazil (73 spp.) and South America (230) is high, but the oribatid mite fauna of these countries remains poorly known. Only continued studies can determine if the high number of species known only from Brazil is an indication of high endemism.

A new eriophyoid mite genus and species, Gymnaceria cupuassu (Acari: Eriophyidae), described from the cupuaçu tree in Brazil

A new eriophyoid mite genus and species, Gymnaceria cupuassu n. sp. et n. gen. (Acari: Eriophyidae: Eriophyinae: Aceriini), is described from young fruits and other plant parts of the cupuaçu tree, Theobroma grandiflorum (Willd. Ex Spreng.) K. Schum. (Sterculiaceae), from the State of Bahia, northeastern Brazil. No visible damage symptoms were observed.

Suction collector for mites

A simple and effective suction collector device for plant inhabiting mites directly into vials is described.

A new species of Cosmolaelaps Berlese (Acari: Laelapidae) living in the nest of the ant Neoponera inversa (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Brazil

Abstract Until now the mite genus Cosmolaelps Berlese was represented in Brazil by eleven species. A new species, based on adults collected exclusively from the brood of the ponerine ant Neoponera inversa (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is described. Colonies of this ant were found in dried cocoa pods fallen on the floor of a cocoa tree plantation in southern Bahia. It is suggested that the mite uses the ant mainly for phoresy as these mostly arboreal ants, commonly change the site of their colony, quickly carrying the brood from one place to another.