Page 37 - Volume 1, Issue 2, July 2008
Basic HTML Version
Hellenic Plant Protection Journal
1:
89-91, 2008
SHORT COMMUNICATION
First record of
Aceria cynodoniensis
feeding on Bermuda grass
in Greece
E.V. Kapaxidi
1
, D. Markoyiannaki-Printziou
1
and P. Papaioanou-Souliotis
1
Summary
Aceria cynodoniensis
Sayed was found feeding on Bermuda grass plants in a commer-
cial turfgrass nursery in Aliartos (Viotia) and is reported for the first time in Greece. Information on
its morphology and the symptoms of damage is also provided.
Additional keywords
: Acari,
Aceria neocynodonis
,
Cynodon dactylon,
Eriophyidae, turfgrass
clearing and mounting the individuals,
Hoyer’s mediumwas used (6). The identifi-
cation was made by using the keys of Am-
rine
et al
. (1) and Keifer’s description of
A.
neocynodonis
(4).
A.
cynodoniensis
(Figures 1 and 2) is a
slender, wormlike, yellowish mite, 170-210
μm long. The female has 6– and the male
5- rayed featherclaws; the dorsal shield
is marked with a distinctive design of 2
scalloped, parallel ridges running the full
length of the shield, with a straight, short
ridge in between. The microtubercules are
elliptical; the coverflap of the female gen-
italia has 11-12 ribs, with the median ribs
longer than the lateral ones (5).
The mites feed and seek shelter in the
leaf sheaths. Mite feeding apparently in-
hibits plant growth, thus the leaf sheaths
become swollen, closely packed, thick-
ened, and bunched at the stem node, and
the leaf blades become stunted. Affect-
ed stems have greatly deformed and en-
larged nodes and shortened internodes.
The infestation showing the characteristic
injury becomes evident in the spring on
Bermuda grass grown in lawns; and then
browning and thinning out of the grass
follow.
Data on the biology of
A. cynodonien-
Aceria
cynodoniensis
Sayed (=
Aceria
neo-
cynodonis
Keifer) (Acari: Eriophyidae)
is a mite infesting Bermuda grass [
Cyn-
odon dactylon
(L.) Pers.], causing a rosette
symptom to the plants. It was first record-
ed in Egypt on grass (9). Since then it has
been reported from the U.S.A. (Arizona,
Georgia, Florida and California) as
A. neo-
cynodonis
Keifer (2, 3, 4, 13), South Africa
(7, 11) and Australlia (8). In all cases it was
found infesting grass species of the genus
Cynodon
.
In September 2007, symptoms of ab-
normal Bermuda grass growth were ob-
served in a turfgrass nursery near Aliar-
tos (region of Viotia). From plants brought
to the laboratory twelve female and one
male mites were collected and identified
as
A. cynodoniensis.
To our knowledge this
is the first time that this mite is reported
from Greece.
Mites were observed using a stereo-
scopic microscope (Olympus SZ61) and
then carefully collected from the infest-
ed leaves (rosettes) of Bermuda grass. For
1
Laboratory of Acarology and Agricultural Zoolo-
gy, Department of Entomology and Agricultur-
al Zoology, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 8
St. Delta str., GR-145 61 Kifissia (Athens), Greece.
Corresponding author:
