S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 58. (Budapest, 1997)
Table 2 (continued) Host plant Eriophyoid mite species Tarsonemid mite species Malus domestica Cerasus vulgaris Prunus spinosa Tarsonemus nodosus Aculus fockeui Acalitus phloeocoptes Phyllocoptes abaenus Diptacus gigantorhynchus Rhinotergum schestovici Eriophyes sp. Aceria sp. Aceria ilicis Cecidophyes tristernalis Achaetocoptes quercifolii Cecidophyes caliquerci Eriophyes quercichrysolepis Aceria ly'coper s ici Tarsonemus karli Tarsonemus waitei Tarsonemus nodosus Tarsonemus stammeri Dendroptus sp. 1 "willmanni" s. Suski Pinus nigra Forsythia suspenso Ouercus ilex Dendroptus sp. 7 Tarsonemus nodosus Dendroptus sp. 6 Tarsonemus karli Solanum dulcamara Dendroptus sp. 1 "willmanni" s. Suski It is believed that Tarsonemus mites encountered on erected vegetation feed on the microscopic fungi living on the leaf surface (as proven in laboratory experiments by Suski 1967, 1972a). Suppositions that some Tarsonemus mites can feed on the physiologically normal plant tissue were never experimentally confirmed. Therefore, it is probable, that individuals of Tarsonemus found on erected vegetation are vagrant forms associated rather with the presence of the surface growing fungi, than being true herbivores. Differently, the genus Dendroptus Kramer (as re-diagnosed by Lindquist 1986), seems to coexist in close association with the eriophyoid mites. The nature of the relationship was first investigated by Beer (1963) in America and later by Bolland (1980) in the Netherlands, and Sharonov (1980) in the Ukraine (both referred to as personal correspondence in Lindquist, 1986). Alford (1973) recorded the close relationship between Tarsonemus aculeus and Eriophyes gallarumtiliae. He reports that tarsonemids can feed more efficiently on the thin-walled cells of the gall leaf tissues than on the thick-walled but less succulent cells of the older leaves. Sharonov (1988) collected Dendroptus koktebelicus from the galls of eriophyoid mites on maple leaves. Delfinado (1978) described two Tarsonemus species in the galls of eriophyoid mites found on leaves of maple and poplar. According to the new classification introduced by Lindquist (1986), all of these species belong to the genus Dendroptus Kramer, 1876. Other interesting data have been collected by Mitrofanov et al. (1986) who observed Dendroptus vulgaris feeding on eggs of tydeid mites. Smiley and Landwehr (1976) reported on Acaronemus destructor as being a predatory mite of the eggs of spider mites. Thus, it appears probable, that a sort of facultative parasitoitism may be a life habit of some Dendroptus species, as suggested by Lindquist (1986). Dendroptus mites were found to feed on erineal tissue growth induced by gall-forming eriophyoids. The possibility that these mites can also prey on eriophyoid eggs or even individuals cannot be ruled out. Whatever kind of association between Dendroptus and eriophyoid mites exists, the present study confirms that the majority of recorded Dendroptus occurrences is linked with eriophyoid presence. The number of species of Dendroptus found to occur in examined material is strikingly high. Actually, this is probably the richest assemblage of Dendroptus mites ever summarised in one study. One, however, needs to remember that before redefinition (and
