Wheat curl mite and dry bulb mite: untangling a taxonomic conundrum through a multidisciplinary approach ANNA SKORACKA 1 *, LECHOSLAW KUCZYN ´ SKI 2 , BRIAN RECTOR 3 and JAMES W. AMRINE JR 4 1 Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznan ´ , Poland 2 Department of Avian Biology and Ecology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznan ´ , Poland 3 USDA-ARS, Great Basin Rangelands Research Unit, Reno, NV 89512, USA 4 West Virginia University, 1090 Agricultural Sciences Building, Evansdale Drive, Morgantown, WV 26508, USA Received 28 July 2013; revised 17 October 2013; accepted for publication 17 October 2013 Two economically important eriophyoid mites, Aceria tosichella (wheat curl mite; WCM) and Aceria tulipae (dry bulb mite; DBM), were frequently confounded in the world literature until the late 20th Century. Their morpho- logical similarity and ambiguous data from plant-transfer and virus-transmission trials contributed to this confusion. Until recently, there was a general lack of knowledge about the existence of species complexes and it was not possible to accurately genotype tested mites. In the present study, two WCM genotypes of divergent host specificity (MT-1 and MT-2) and one DBM genotype were tested for the acceptance of Poaceae, Amarylidaceae, and Liliaceae species that were reported or suspected as hosts of WCM or DBM. The MT-1 lineage colonized all tested plants. Onion- and garlic-associated DBM populations did not colonize tulip and wild garlic, suggesting that host-acceptance variability exists within A. tulipae s.l. Morphometric analysis did not discriminate closely-related MT-1 and MT-2 genotypes but completely separated both WCM genotypes from DBM based on the larger overall body size of the latter. Three morphological traits combined to discriminate between the DBM and MT-1 genotypes, both of which can infest Amarylidaceae bulbs. In total, these combined DNA sequence, host-acceptance, morphometrical results unambiguously separated two WCM and one DBM genotypes. Similar studies on additional lineages of both WCM and DBM should ultimately dispel previous taxonomic confusion between these two species. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 111, 421–436. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: 28S rDNA D2 – Aceria tosichella – Aceria tulipae – cryptic species – DNA barcoding – host specificity – morphological variability – mtDNA COI – species complex – taxonomy. INTRODUCTION The eriophyoid mites Aceria tulipae (Keifer, 1938) and Aceria tosichella (Keifer, 1969) are known as major pests of bulbs (onion, garlic, and tulip) and cereal crops (mainly wheat but also sorghum, barley, corn, oats, and rye), respectively, throughout most of the world (their distribution is summarized in Navia et al., 2010, 2013). These eriophyoids can directly damage their host plants, causing the abnormal development of plant tissues and stunted plant growth, although their primary impact is a result of their ability to transmit plant viruses (Jeppson, Keifer & Baker, 1975). Their small size makes them difficult to detect on their hosts; thus, they can be spread easily as a result of world trade. During recent decades, both mites have become invasive in many areas in the world (Navia et al., 2010). *Corresponding author. E-mail: anna.skoracka@amu.edu.pl Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 111, 421–436. With 6 figures © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 111, 421–436 421 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article/111/2/421/2415954 by guest on 10 November 2022