Amblyseius tamatavensis Blommers, 1974

Amblyseius tamatavensis Blommers View in CoL

Amblyseius tamatavensis Blommers 1974: 144 View in CoL ; Moraes et al. 1986: 31 ; Denmark & Muma 1989: 13 ; Chant & McMurtry 2004: 203 ; Ehara & Amano 2004: 17 ; Moraes et al. 2004b: 52 ; Chant & McMurtry 2007: 81 ; Döker et al. 2018: 101.

Amblyseius (Amblyseius) tamatavensis, Ehara 2002: 33 View in CoL ; Ehara & Amano 2002: 322.

Amblyseius aegyptiacus View in CoL Denmark & Matthysse in Matthysse & Denmark 1981: 343 (synonymy according to Denmark & Muma 1989)

Amblyseius maai Tseng 1976: 123 View in CoL (synonymy according to Denmark & Muma 1989).

Amblyseius tamatavensis View in CoL , like the previous species, belongs to the obtusus species group, characterized by the presence of setae J2 and Z1, setae z4 are minute, and a female ventrianal shield that is neither vase-shaped nor divided. It is further classified in the aerialis species subgroup (46 species) due to the tubular calyx of the spermatheca (Chant and McMurtry 2004a).

It seems to fit the type III-b feeding habit (generalist predators living on glabrous leaves) as defined by McMurtry et al. (2013). Cavalcante et al. (2017) reported this species as a promising natural enemy of B. tabaci . Experimental releases on caged plants in a screen house have demonstrated its efficacy, reducing B. tabaci densities of on pepper plants by 60-80% ( Massaro and Moraes 2019). Additionally, it can be easily mass-produced in large numbers using astigmatine mites as a food source, making it suitable for augmentative biological control programs ( Massaro et al. 2021). This species has been reported in tropical areas from over 20 countries around the world including Africa, Asia, Americas, and Oceania. Measurements of specimens collected during this study are provided in table 7. This is the first record of this species from Ivory Coast.

Specimens examined — 4 ♀♀ and 1 ♂ collected between 14/III/2017 and 10/III/2018

in Abidjan, Anyama Ahoue (aasl 42 m, Lat 5°26′00.87″N, Long 3°55′00.60″W) on Carica papaya L.

World distribution — Australia (New South Wales, Queensland), Benin, Brazil (Alagoas, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceará, Esperíto Santo, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Pará, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Roraima, Sergipe, São Paulo, Tocantins), Burundi, Cameroon, Cook Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, DR Congo, Easter Island/ Isla de Pascua ( Chile), Fiji, Ghana, Guadeloupe Island ( France), Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar Island, Malawi, Malaysia, Marie-Galante Island ( France), Martinique ( France), Mauritius Island, Mayotte Island ( France), Mozambique, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Réunion Island ( France), Rodrigues Island ( Mauritius), Rwanda, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Uganda, USA (Florida), Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Western Samoa.

Remarks — The measurement values ( Tables 7 and 8) are very close to that reported in the literature, especially for specimens from Africa. However, the current specimens exhibit r3, z2, Z5 and SgeIV being shorter compared to those of previous reports.