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Two alien spider mite species (Prostigmata,
Tetranychidae) associated with ornamental bamboo
from Russia

Ilya Kamayev, Elena Zhuravleva, Natalia Karpun

► To cite this version:

Ilya Kamayev, Elena Zhuravleva, Natalia Karpun. Two alien spider mite species (Prostigmata, Tetranychidae) associated with ornamental bamboo from Russia. Acarologia, 2025, 65 (3), pp.782-785. 10.24349/1khz-rf18 . hal-05206337

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Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
# Two alien spider mite species (Prostigmata, Tetranychidae) associated with ornamental bamboo from Russia

Ilya Kamayev IDª, Elena Zhuravleva IDᵇ, Natalia Karpun IDᵇ

## Short note

### ABSTRACT

*Aponychus corpuzae* Rimando, 1966 and *Stigmaeopsis nanjingensis* (Ma & Yuan, 1980) were recorded on the bamboo species *Phyllostachys reticulata* for the first time in Russia. Both species inhabits only ornamental plants of bamboo in the favorable climatic conditions of humid subtropics in Sochi - urban territory of the Black Sea coast of the Western Caucasus.

**Keywords** fauna; biodiversity; bioinvasions; pests; Palearctic region

## Introduction

The climate conditions of some regions of Russia are favorable for the introduction of a wide range of agricultural and ornamental crops. Thermophilic plants such as various species of palm tree (Arecaceae), the tea plant (*Camellia sinensis* (L.) Kuntze), bamboo and many others are able to grow in Sochi, an urbanized area of the Black Sea coast of the Western Caucasus, due to the fact that part of this territory is located in humid subtropical conditions. In the unique conditions of Sochi, bioinvasions of 60 phytophagous arthropod species have been reliably recorded over the past 15 years of constant observations by specialists from the Subtropical Scientific Center (FRC SSC) of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Karpun, 2019; Karpun *et al.*, 2024).

In 2021, plant protection and entomology specialists first observed unusual symptoms of damage to bamboo plants *Phyllostachys reticulata* (Rupr.) K. Koch (Poaceae), which are widely planted in Sochi for decorative purposes. The study of the plant material collected in 2024 revealed two alien spider mite species that are new to the fauna of Russia.

## Materials and methods

The study was initiated and organized by N. Karpun on the basis of FRC SSC, Sochi. The collections were carried out by E. Zhuravleva on ornamental plants of bamboo *P. reticulata* in Sochi (Krasnodar Krai, Russia) in 2024. The leaves with mites were preserved in 70% ethanol. Microscopic preparations were made with Hoyer's medium (Walter and Krantz, 2009). The mites were identified by I. Kamayev under transmitted light using phase-contrast (PH) and DIC microscopes of ZEISS Axio Imager 2 and Levenhuk MED D45T LCD and with the literature sources (Mitrofanov *et al.*, 1987; Bolland *et al.*, 1998; Saito *et al.*, 2004, 2019; Auger *et al.*, 2023). Photography and subsequent processing of the illustrations were carried out using Zen 2.3, Zerene Stacker, and GIMPT 2.10.30.

Received 10 May 2025
Accepted 22 July 2025
Published 05 August 2025

Corresponding author
Ilya Kamayev ID:
ilyakamayev@yandex.ru

Academic editor
Auger, Philippe

https://doi.org/10.24349/1khz-rf18

ISSN 0044-586X (print)
ISSN 2107-7207 (electronic)

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Kamayev I. *et al.*

Licensed under
Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0

<footnote>ª All-Russian Plant Quarantine Center ("VNIIKR"), Bykovo (Moscow Oblast); Tyumen State University, Tyumen; Russia.</footnote>

<footnote>ᵇ Federal Research Centre the Subtropical Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FRC SSC of RAS), Sochi, Russia.</footnote>
The materials and slides are stored in the acarological collection of the All-Russian Plant Quarantine Center ("VNIIKR") and in the personal collection of I. Kamayev (Moscow, Russia).

**Results and discussion**

**Family Tetranychidae Donnadieu, 1875**

**Subfamily Tetranychinae Berlese, 1913**

**Tribe Eurytetranychini Reck, 1950**

**Genus *Aponychus* Rimando, 1966**

Type-species: *Aponychus corpuzae* Rimando, 1966

**Aponychus corpuzae Rimando, 1966**

Figure 1A–B

**Material examined** — 7 females, 4 males collected on *Phyllostachys reticulata* (Poaceae), ornamental plantings, (43.5974°N 39.7642°E, alt. 129 m a.s.l.), Sochi, 1-VII-2024 and 30-IX-2024.

**Distinctive characters (according to Auger et al., 2023)** — The dorsocentral setae *c1*, *d1* and *e1* are short (Fig. 1A). The seta *c1* is obviously shorter than the distance between *c1* bases. The seta *f1* is slightly shorter than the seta *h1*. The seta *f2* is very short, setiform and in ventral position (Fig. 1B).

**Note about host plants** — This species has been recorded on about 20 species of host plants, most of which belong to the Poaceae (Migeon and Dorkeld, 2025). Seljak (2015) recorded this mite species on *P. reticulata* for the first time [according to Catalogue of Life (Bánki et al. 2025), the Latin name *P. bambusoides* Siebold & Zucc. is a junior synonym of *P. reticulata*]. Our data also confirm this trophic association of *A. corpuzae*.

**Remarks** — *Aponychus corpuzae* is known from East, Southeast and South Asia (Migeon and Dorkeld, 2025). In 2012, it was first recorded in western and central Europe: Italy and Slovenia (Seljak 2015), later in France (Auger *et al.*, 2023).

It should be noted that prior to our study and since the work of Mitrofanov *et al.* (1987), the species of the genus *Aponychus* were unknown in the fauna of Russia and neighboring countries.

**Tribe Tetranychini Reck, 1950**

**Genus *Stigmaeopsis* Banks, 1917**

Type-species: *Stigmaeopsis celarius* Banks, 1917

**Stigmaeopsis nanjingensis (Ma & Yuan, 1980)**

Figure 1C–D

**Material examined** — 17 females, 7 males collected on *Phyllostachys reticulata*, ornamental plantings, (43.5974°N 39.7642°E, alt. 129 m a.s.l.), Sochi, 1-VII-2024 and 30-IX-2024. 4 females, 1 male collected on *P. reticulata*, ornamental plantings, (43.5682°N 39.7474°E, alt. 33 m a.s.l.), Sochi, 4-VII-2024.

**Distinctive characters (according to Saito et al., 2019)** — The length of the seta *d1* is longer than the distance between the bases of *d1* setae (Fig. 1C). The distance between the bases of the *e1* setae is approximately equal to that between the bases of *d1* setae.

The aedeagus of *S. nanjingensis* is shown in Figure 1D.

**Note about host plants** — Our data confirm the trophic association of this species with *P. reticulata* as previously noted in the work of Auger and Migeon (2007).
<figure><img src="image_4.png" /><figcaption>**Figure 1** *Aponychus corpuzae* female: A – dorsal body chaetome (PH); B – ventrocaudal part (DIC); C–D *Stigmaeopsis nanjingensis*: C – female, dorsal body chaetome (DIC); D – male, aedeagus (PH). Scale bars A, C=50 µm; B, D=20 µm.</figcaption></figure>

**Remarks** — *Stigmaeopsis nanjingensis* was described from China (Ma and Yuan, 1980) and, in recent decades, it has been recorded in European countries: France (Auger and Migeon, 2007; Auger *et al.*, 2023), Italy (Pellizzari and Duso, 2009), Hungary (Kontschan, Nemenyi, 2013), Portugal (Naves *et al.*, 2021).

It should be noted that prior to our study and since the work of Mitrofanov *et al.* (1987), *S. nanjingensis* was unknown in the fauna of Russia and neighboring countries.

**Acknowledgements**

We would like to thank Dr. K. Klemeshova for the confirmation of bamboo species identification and Dr. N. Kirichenko for the information about the first observations of symptoms on bamboo.
Special thanks to the editor P. Auger, who gave valuable advice that contributed to the improvement of the publication's manuscript.

This study was partly carried out within the framework of the agreements on scientific cooperation between All-Russian Plant Quarantine Center, Bykovo, and the Federal Research Centre the Subtropical Scientific Centre of The Russian Academy of Sciences, Sochi (№NC-18/02, 15.01.2018). The research of I. Kamayev was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, grant № 25-14-00118. Phytosanitary monitoring of plantings in Sochi was carried out as part of implementation of the scientific task of FRC SSC of RAS FGRW-2025-0002, registration number 125021202045-8.

## ORCID

Ilya Kamayev ID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4251-4862

Elena Zhuravleva ID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8970-8205

Natalia Karpun ID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7696-3618

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