Persian Journal of Acarology

Abstract One new species of eriophyoid mites Disella jasminae sp. nov. from Jasminum officinale L. (family Oleaceae) was described and illustrated from New Alluvial Zone of West Bengal, India. The new mite species was found to be vagrant on the surface of the leaves without causing visible damage.

Abstract The litchi white rust mite, Notacaphylla chinensiae Mohanasundaram and Singh, 1988 is a pest of litchi in West Bengal, India. Study on population dynamics, sensitive-ness of litchi cultivars towards the mite was conducted between 2009 and 2011. The mite remains active on litchi plants throughout the year in West Bengal, reaching the highest population densities (1300 to 1500 mites/cm² leaf) in winter (January/ February). Population densities of N. chinensiae was negatively correlated with monthly mean of the maximum temperature (–0.492), minimum temperature (–0.785), rainfall (–0.665) and minimum humidity (–0.829). Among 11 litchi cultivars, the highest mean population throughout the year was recorded on Nafarpal (440–584 mites/cm² leaf) followed by Elaichi (431–597 mites/cm² leaf), Bombai (437–600 mites/cm²leaf) and Seedless late (444–594 mites/cm² leaf), whereas the lowest was assessed on Purbi (146–167 mites/cm² leaf) followed by Muzaffarpur (148–184 mites/cm² leaf).

Abstract Rice sheath mite, Steneotarsonemus spinki Smiley (Acari: Tarsonemidae), was observed to pose a serious threat to the rice cultivation under Bengal Basin of West Bengal, India during wet season. The mite appeared during tillering to panicle emergence with a maximum population encountered during early ripening stage of the crop causing characteristic brownish specks on the leaf sheath and on the grains resulting poor yield particularly in case of susceptible rice cultivars, IET-4786, IR-36, IET-4094 and many others high yielding varieties. Acaricides was found to be inadequate in suppressing the mite population. The result of the experiment reveals that the mite population significantly varied among different treatments with a maximum mite population colonized (929.67 mite/ leaf sheath) in chemical fertilized plots and a minimum recorded (108.33 mite/leaf sheath) in leaf manure of Glyricidia maculata  (Kunth) Walp treated plots. However, maximum seed yield (fresh rough grain) was obtained from combined application of mustard cake, Glyricidia leaf manure and chemical fertilizers. (9.16 t/ha) which was at par with that of chemical fertilizer treated plots and the minimum yield was recorded from control plots (6.18 t/ha).

Abstract A new species, Phyllocoptruta neemae sp. nov. of the family Eriophyidae was found on both surface of leaves of Azadirachta indica Juss (Meliaceae), and described and illustrated from specimens collected at Kalyani, West Bengal, India. This is the third eriophyoid mite species described from A. indica in India. The key of the Indian Phyllocoptruta species was given.