Species Balaustium medicagoense Meyer & Ryke, 1959

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• Balaustium medicagoense Meyer, M.K.P. & Ryke, P.A.J. 1959. Nine new species of the Superfamily Erythraeoidea (Acarina: Trombidiformes) associated with plants in South Africa. Acarologia 1: 304–323.

Introduction

Balaustium medicagoense was thought to be exclusively predatory, like the adults of other species of Erythraeidae. However, evidence is accumulating to show that it can also be a significant pest of crop plants (reviewed by Arthur et al. 2010). The identity of this species in Australia was clarified by Halliday (2001), who showed that previous records of Balaustium murorum (Hermann) in Australia actually refer to B. medicagoense.

General References

Arthur, A,L., Weeks, A.R., Hill, M.P. & Hoffmann, A.A. 2011. The distribution, abundance and life cycle of the pest mites Balaustium medicagoense (Prostigmata: Erythraeidae) and Bryobia spp. (Prostigmata: Tetranychidae) in Australia. Australian Journal of Entomology 50: 22–36 (as Balaustium medicagoense)

Arthur, A.L., Hoffmann, A.A., Umina, P.A., & Weeks, A.R. 2008. Emerging pest mites of grains (Balaustium medicagoense and Bryobia sp.) show high levels of tolerance to currently registered pesticides. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 48: 1126–1132 (as Balaustium medicagoense)

Arthur, A.L., Weeks, A.R., Umina, P.A. & Hoffmann, A.A. 2010. Survival and reproduction of the pest mites Balaustium medicagoense and Bryobia spp. on winter grain crops. Experimental and Applied Acarology 52: 141–153 (as Balaustium medicagoense)

Beron, P. 2008. Acarorum Catalogus. I. Acariformes: Calyptostomatoidea (Calyptostomatidae), Erythraeoidea (Smarididae, Erythraeidae). Sofia : Pensoft pp. 271. (as Balaustium medicagoense)

Halliday, R.B. 2001. Systematics and biology of the Australian species of Balaustium von Heyden (Acari: Erythraeidae). Australian Journal of Entomology 40: 326–330 (as Balaustium medicagoense)

Halliday, R.B. 2005. Predatory mites from crops and pastures in South Africa: Potential natural enemies of redlegged earth mite Halotydeus destructor (Acari: Penthaleidae). Zootaxa 1079: 11–64 (as Balaustium medicagoense)

James, D.G., O'Malley, K. & Rayner, M. 1995. Effect of alphacypermethrin and bifenthrin on the survival of five acarine predators of Halotydeus destructor (Acari: Penthaleidae). Experimental and Applied Acarology 19: 647-654 (as Balaustium murorum)

Mąkol, J. & Wohltmann, A. 2012. An annotated checklist of terrestrial Parasitengona (Actinotrichida: Prostigmata) of the world, excluding Trombiculidae and Walchiidae. Annales Zoologici, Warszawa 62: 359–562 (as Balaustium medicagoense)

Southcott, R.V. 1961. Studies on the systematics and biology of the Erythraeoidea (Acarina), with a critical revision of the genera and subfamilies. Australian Journal of Zoology 9: 367-610 pl. 1 (as Balaustium murorum)

Southcott, R.V. 1976. Arachnidism and allied syndromes in the Australian region. Records of the Adelaide Children's Hospital 1: 97-186 (as Balaustium cf. murorum)

Southcott, R.V. 1978. Australian Harmful Arachnids and Their Allies. Mitcham, South Australia : R. V. Southcott 36 pp. (as Balaustium cf. murorum)

History of changes