Xiao-Feng Xue

Nanjing Agricultural University | NAU · Department of Entomology

Eriophyoid mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea) are among the smallest of terrestrial arthropods and the most species‐rich group of herbivorous mites with a high host specificity. However, knowledge of their species diversity has been impeded by the difficulty of their morphological differentiation. This study assembles a DNA barcode reference library that...

Arachnida is an exceptionally diverse class in the Arthropoda, consisting of 20 orders and playing crucial roles in the terrestrial ecosystems. However, their interordinal relationships have been debated for over a century. Rearranged or highly rearranged mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) were consistently found in this class, but their various e...

Aim Environmental drivers and host richness play key roles in affecting herbivore diversity. However, the relative effects of these factors and their effects on lineages characterized by high host specificity are not well known. In this study, we explored the extent to which contemporary climate, Quaternary climate change, habitat heterogeneity and...

The superfamily Eriophyoidea includes more than 5000 named species of very small phytophagous mites. As for many groups of phytophagous invertebrates, factors responsible for diversification of eriophyoid mites are unclear. Here, we used an inferred phylogeny of 566 putative species of eriophyoid mites based on fragments of two mitochondrial genes...

Eriophyoid mites are among the most species‐rich superfamilies (Eriophyoidea) in the Acari, consisting of over 5000 named species. Although they exhibit a geographically uneven worldwide distribution, their regional spatiotemporal evolutionary patterns remain largely unknown. Here, we compiled a data set including 3058 occurrence records assigned i...

During field surveys of eriophyoid species associated with rosaceous plants in Zagros forests of Iran, three new species were discovered and described including Eriophyes cotosarica sp. nov. from Cotoneaster hissaricus Pojark., Eriophyes cratameyeris sp. nov. from Crataegus meyeri Pojark. and Eriophyes pyrusyriaca sp. nov. from Pyrus syriaca Boiss....

Eriophyoid mites are characterized by high host plant specificity—roughly 80% named species infesting only one host plant species. However, sympatric species, i.e. two or more eriophyoid mites infesting the same host, were consistently reported. In this study, we described and illustrated one new species, Abacarus horseshoex sp. nov. on Bambusa sp....

Four new eriophyoid mite species of the genus Diptilomiopus Nalepa (Acari: Diptilomiopidae) from China are described and illustrated. They are D. cotoneastrus sp. nov. on Cotoneaster acutifolius Turcz. (Rosaceae), D. clidemioidus sp. nov. on Boehmeria clidemioides var. diffusa (Wedd.) Hand.-Mazz. (Urticaceae), D. quinatus sp. nov. on Vitex quinata...

The phytophagous mite Tetranychus truncatus is a serious pest in East Asia but has a relatively narrower host range than the pest mite Tetranychus urticae, which can feed on over 1200 plant species. Here, we generated a high-quality chromosomal level genome of T. truncatus and compared it with that of T. urticae, with an emphasis on the genes relat...

Single‐locus molecular delimitation plays a key role in meeting the need to expedite the exploration and description of the species on our planet. Multiple methods have been developed to aid data interpretation over the past 20 years, but species delimitation remains difficult due to their varying performance. In this study, we examine the accuracy...

Eriophyid mites (Eriophyidae) are strictly phytophagous and are concentrated in Europe, Eastern Asia, Southeast Asia, Western and Eastern North America, Southern India, and New Zealand. South and southwest China are hot spots for eriophyid mite species diversity and endemism. In this study, we describe two new species, Scolotosus ehretussp. nov. on...

Eriophyoid mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea) comprise approximately 5000 named species, leading to the most species-rich superfamily in the Acari. They are strictly herbivorous with a high level of host specificity, reflecting 89% of these mites attack only one or two congeneric host species (Yin et al., 2022).

Spider mites belonging to the genus Tetranychus infest many important agricultural crops in both fields and greenhouses worldwide and are diversified in their host plant range. How spider mites perceive their suitable host plants remains not completely clear. Here, through two-host-choice designs (bean vs. tomato, and bean vs. eggplant), we tested...

Eriophyoid mites (Eriophyoidea) are distributed worldwide and are the largest superfamily in the Acari. After over one and a half centuries of field surveys, regional fauna of eriophyoid mites remains unclear. The genus Calvittacus Xue, Song & Hong 2006 is endemic in the Oriental Region, including four species—C. chenius Xue, Wang, Song & Hong, 200...

The genus Calepitrimerus (Acari: Eriophyoidea) comprise more than 90 extant species. Most species infest angiosperms, while only five were reported from gymnosperms. Herein, we describe and illustrate three new species of the genus Ca-lepitrimerus from China: two from angiosperms, C. huayanlingense sp. nov. on Ficus erecta (Moraceae), C. cryptocary...

Two new species of eriophyoid mites from China are described and illustrated. They are Phyllocoptes broccolis sp. nov. on Mucuna macrocarpa (Leguminosae), and Apodiptacus hongkouianus sp. nov. on Bambusa sp. (Poaceae). Both new eriophyoid mite species are vagrants causing no apparent symptom to their host plants.

In this paper, seven new species of the Phyllocoptini (Acari: Eriophyidae: Phyllocoptinae) from China are described and illustrated. They are Calvittacus swidanus sp. nov. on Swida macrophylla (Cornaceae); Vasates desmodius sp. nov. on Desmodium sp. (Fabaceae); Epitrimerus nyingchicus sp. nov. on Cotoneaster ambiguus (Rosaceae); Calepitrimerus pain...

Two new species of the family Diptilomiopidae (Acari: Eriophyoidea) from China are described and illustrated. They are Catarhinus sanguinalus sp. nov. on Digitaria sanguinalis (Poaceae) and Rhyncaphytoptus mandshuricae sp. nov. on Fraxinus mandshurica (Oleaceae). Both new species are vagrant on lower leaf surface. No apparent damage to the host was...

Accurate species delimitation is essential for the study of biodiversity, but morphological approaches often provide a limited ability to connect different life stages, sexes or other phenotypic variants in eriophyoid mites because many species possess two phenotypically distinct forms: protogynes and deutogynes. In this study, we analysed the morp...

Local adaptation is particularly likely in invertebrate pests that typically have short generation times and large population sizes, but there are few studies on pest species investigating local adaptation and separating this process from contemporaneous and historical gene flow. Here we use a population genomic approach to investigate evolutionary...

Five new eriophyoid mites infesting weeds of the family Poaceae are described and illustrated from Egypt. They are Abacarus stagninis sp. nov. from Echinochloa stagnina (Retz.) P. Beauv., vagrants in grooves between veins on the upper leaf surface, causing discoloration of the leaves; and four new species from genus Aceria (A. echinochloae sp. nov....

Three new species of the tribe Phyllocoptini (Acari: Eriophyidae) from China, are described and illustrated. They are Phyllocoptes gaotainensus sp. n. on Populus euphratica (Salicaceae), Calepitrimerus anomalus sp. n. on Paeonia anomala (Paeoniaceae) and Paraepitrimerus stellarus sp. n. on Stellaria sp. (Caryophyllaceae). Based on the characteristi...

The Eriophyoidea, notable for specific morphological characters (four-legged mites) and gall-formation in host plants (gall mites), is one of the most species-rich superfamilies of Acari. Monophyly of the superfamily Eriophyoidea is accepted by all acarologists; however, monophyly of most genera has not been evaluated in a molecular phylogenetic ne...

The center–periphery hypothesis (CPH) states that the genetic diversity, genetic flow, and population abundance of a species are highest at the center of the species’ geographic distribution. However, most CPH studies have focused on the geographic distance and have ignored ecological and historical effects. Studies using niche models to define the...

One new genus and six new species of eriophyoid mite from Mountain Trusmadi, Malaysia are described and illustrated. They are Isoannulus morrisianae sp. nov. on Diospyros morrisiana (Ebenaceae), Abacarus bicolorus sp. nov. on Lespedeza bicolor (Leguminosae), Parneometaculus persicariae gen. nov. & sp. nov. on Persicaria chinensis (Polygonaceae), Sh...

The red tomato spider mite, Tetranychus evansi Baker & Pritchard, is a newly emerged and globally invasive pest of solanaceous plants. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of T. evansi was sequenced using Illumina Hiseq technology. The complete mitochondrial genome of T. evansi is a typical circular DNA with a length of 13,064 bp, which...

One new genus and two new species of eriophyid mites (Acari: Eriophyidae) from China are described and illustrated. They are Grandiscapitis camelliae gen. nov. and sp. nov. on Camellia oleifera Abel (Theaceae) and Prominens photiniae sp. nov. on Photinia serratifolia (Desf.) Kalkman (Rosaceae). Additionally, we provided more generic characters to D...

Nine new eriophyoid mite species of the genus Diptilomiopus (Acari: Diptilomiopidae) from China and Malaysia are described and illustrated. They are D. broussonetus sp. nov. on Broussonetia sp. (Moraceae), D. callicarpus sp. nov. on Callicarpa bodinieri (Lamiaceae), D. fortunus sp. nov. on Alniphyllum fortunei (Styracaceae), D. keningaus sp. nov. o...

Oribatida s.l. represents one of the most species-rich mite lineages, including two recognized groups: oribatid mites (Oribatida s.s., non-astigmatan oribatids) and astigmatid mites (Astigmata). However, the relationship between these two groups has been debated. Here, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of one oribatid mite and one...

Mesostigmata is an extremely diverse group of mites with more than 11,000 described species in 109 families. The complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes of five species of mesostigmatid mites from three families (Varroidae, Ologamasidae, Phytoseiidae) have been reported previously; all of them are rearranged or highly rearranged in gene order. However,...

While it has been proposed in several taxa that the mitochondrial genome is associated with adaptive evolution to different climatic conditions, making links between mitochondrial haplotypes and organismal phenotypes remains a challenge. Mito‐nuclear discordance occurs in the small brown planthopper (SBPH), Laodelphax striatellus, with one mitochon...

Two new species of the family Eriophyidae (Acari: Eriophyoidea) from Mount Trusmadi, Malaysia, are described and illustrated. They are Neodicrothrix grandcaputus sp. nov. on Stachyurus himalaicus (Stachyuraceae) and Latitudo asiaticis sp. nov. on Psychotria asiatica (Rubiaceae). Both of the two new species are vagrant on the lower leaf surface. No...

A new genus and two new species of the family Eriophyidae (Acari: Eriophyoidea) from Mountain Trusmadi, Malaysia are described and illustrated. They are Trusmadius acalypher gen. nov. and sp. nov. on Acalypha sp. (Euphorbiaceae) and Paraphytoptus lithocarpis sp. nov. on Lithocarpus uvariifolius (Hance) Rehder (Fagaceae). Both new species are vagran...

Background: Mitochondrial (mt) genomes of animals typically contain 37 genes for 13 proteins, two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. In sarcoptiform mites, the entire set of mt tRNA genes is present in Aleuroglyphus ovatus, Caloglyphus berlesei, Dermatophagoides farinae, D. pteronyssinus, Histiostoma blomquisti and Psorop...

There is increasing evidence that mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) can be under selection, whereas the selective regimes shaping mitogenome evolution remain largely unclear. To test for mitochondrial genome evolution in relation to the climate adaptation, we explored mtDNA variation in two spider mite (Tetranychus) species, which distribute acro...

Animal mitochondrial genomes usually exhibit conserved gene arrangement across major lineages, while those in the Hymenoptera are known to possess frequent rearrangements, as are those of several other orders of insects. Here, we sequenced two complete mitochondrial genomes of Trichogramma japonicum and Trichogramma ostriniae (Hymenoptera: Chalcido...

A new mite species belonging to the genus Tegonotus Nalepa (Eriophyidae, Phyllocoptinae, Tegonotini), Tegonotus canaris n. sp. Xu, Chen, Xue, from Fuzhou, Fujian Province, southeastern China, is described and illustrated. This new species causes discoloured buds, curled leaf edges and necrosis on its host plant, Canarium album (Lour.) DC. (Chinese...

A new genus and two new species of the subfamily Diptilomiopinae (Acari: Diptilomiopidae) from China’s Hainan Island are described and illustrated. They are Dividilobus parvifolius gen. nov. and sp. nov. on Gnetum parvifolium (Warb.) C. Y. Cheng (Gnetaceae) and Vimola samarangensis sp. nov. on Syzygium samarangense (Blume.) Merr. et Perry (Myrtacea...

Nine new species of eriophyoid mites from the Hengduan Mountains, southwestern China are described and illustrated. They are Cosella delavayi sp. nov. on Castanopsis delavayi Franch. (Fagaceae); Tegonotus fabris sp. nov. on Abies fabri (Mast.) Craib (Pinaceae); Phyllocoptruta hodginsii sp. nov. on Fokienia hodginsii (Dunn) Henry et Thomas (Cupressa...

Eriophyoid mites (superfamily Eriophyoidea) comprise more than 4,400 species worldwide. Despite over a century of study, the phylogenetic position of these mites within Acariformes is still poorly resolved. Currently, Eriophyoidea is placed in the order Trombidiformes. We inferred the high-level phylogeny of Acari with the mitochondrial (mt) genome...

Two new eriophyid mite species associated with Clematis terniflora var. mandshurica, namely Aculops jilinensis sp. n. and Phyllocoptes terniflores sp. n., are described. Both species infest the tender leaves of host plants, inducing severe curling and blistering.

Three new eriophyoid mite species of the family Eriophyidae from Nanling Mountain of China are described and illustrated, including Parinarus alienus sp. nov. infesting Quercus aliena Blume var. acutiserrata Maximowicz ex Wenzig (Fagaceae), Neovittacus castanopsus sp. nov. infesting Castanopsis sp. (Fagaceae) and Proiectus parviflis sp. nov. infest...

Maternally inherited Wolbachia and Cardinium are widely distributed among arthropods, and their presence usually causes modifications of the reproduction and fitness of the host. Although co-infections of Cardinium and Wolbachia in the same host is common, yet relatively little is known about the multiple infections on host or the individual effect...

Three mite species of the family Eriophyidae from Iran are described and illustrated. They are: Tegolophus marrubiumer sp. nov. on Marrubium vulgare L. (Lamiaceae); Phyllocoptes sp. cf. balasi Farkas, 1962 on Sanguisorba minor Scop. subsp. minor (Rosaceae) and Aceria fasciculifolis sp. nov. on Astragalus fasciculifolius Boiss. (Fabaceae). Both new...

The subclass Acari (mites and ticks) comprises two super-orders: Acariformes and Parasitiformes. Most species of the Parasitiformes known retained the ancestral pattern of mitochondrial (mt) gene arrangement of arthropods, and their mt tRNAs have the typical cloverleaf structure. All of the species of the Acariformes known, however, have rearranged...

Six eriophyoid mites, including four new species and two new records, from Egypt are described and illustrated. They are Stenacis aegyptius sp. nov., on Cupressus sempervirens L. (Cupressaceae); Aceria donacis Mohanasundaram, 1983, rec. n. on Arundo donax L. (Poaceae); Aceria bambusae Channabasavanna, 1966, rec. n. on Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. ex J....

A new genus and two new species of mites in the family Eriophyidae, Theaphyes rapaneae gen. n. and sp. n. which is found on the type host Rapanea neriifolia (Sieb. et Zucc.) Mez (Myrsinaceae) and Paracaphyllisa theacea sp. n., are described and illustrated. They are vagrants on the tea plant Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze and no apparent symptoms we...

Wolbachia are endosymbiotic bacteria that are widely distributed in arthropods. The bacteria cause reproductive disorders and affect fitness-related traits of their hosts. The generalist predatory mite Neoseiulus cucumeris (Oudemans) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is a cosmopolitan species commonly used as a biological control agent for mites. Here we inves...

Five new eriophyoid mite species from Zhejiang Province, China are described and illustrated: Diptacus coreanus sp. nov. from Litsea coreana H. Lév. (Lauraceae), Neorhynacus camphoratus sp. nov. from Cinnamomum camphora (L.) J. Presl (Lauraceae), Rhinotergum boehmerius sp. nov. from Boehmeria gracilis C.H. Wright (Urticaceae), Rhyncaphytoptus catha...

A few eriophyoid mites have two forms of adult female, called protogyne and deutogyne. The latter form is thought to increase survival under unfavorable conditions. The two forms have distinct morphological characters, which often cause them to be recognized as different species. Molecular species delimitation provides a useful tool to solve these...

In this paper, four new species of the Eriophyidae are described and illustrated, namely Tetra banqiaoensis sp. nov. from Populus sp. (Salicaceae), Tetra virga sp. nov. from Rhododendron irroratum Franch. (Ericaceae), Tetra ampelopsis sp. nov. from Ampelopsis sp. (Vitaceae), Tetraspinus lucida sp. nov. from Ligustrum lucidum Ait. (Oleaceae). All ar...