Effect of temperature and humidity on dorsal strial lobe densities in<i>Tetranychus</i>(Acari: Tetranychidae)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Mites of the Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval) — T. urticae Koch complex were reared at two temperature and humidity regimes for 10 generations. Adult females collected from each generation and a reference control were examined using scanning electron microscopy. Measurements from the dorsal area bounded by the 2nd and 3rd pair of dorsal hysterosomal setae indicate that the dorsal strial lobe densities change due to temperature or humidity. This indicates that the current practice of utilizing dorsal strial lobe density as a species character is not valid.