Genome streamlining in a minute herbivore that manipulates its host plant

The tomato russet mite, Aculops lycopersici, is among the smallest animals on earth. It is a worldwide pest on tomato and can potently suppress the host’s natural resistance. We sequenced its genome, the first of an eriophyoid, and explored whether there are genomic features associated with the mite’s minute size and lifestyle. At only 32.5 Mb, the genome is the smallest yet reported for any arthropod and, reminiscent of microbial eukaryotes, exceptionally streamlined. It has few transposable elements, tiny intergenic regions, and is remarkably intron-poor, as more than 80% of coding genes are intronless. Furthermore, in accordance with ecological specialization theory, this defense-suppressing herbivore has extremely reduced environmental response gene families such as those involved in chemoreception and detoxification. Other losses associate with this species’ highly derived body plan. Our findings accelerate the understanding of evolutionary forces underpinning metazoan life at the limits of small physical and genome size.

Eriophyoid mites (Acariformes) from wild and cultivated Solanaceae plants from Brazil⁠—new taxa, supplementary descriptions, a first report and new host plants of the tomato russet mite

The results of a survey of Eriophyoidea mites on wild and cultivated Solanaceae plants in Central Brazil are presented. Five new taxa associated with plants in the genus Solanum are described and illustrated. They include one new genus with type species belonging to Phyllocoptinae, Calacarini - Viginticus lupusmalum gen. nov. & sp. nov.; two new species in the Eriophyinae, Aceriini - Aceria solani sp. nov. and Paraphytoptus tuberacutus sp. nov., all of them associated with Solanum lycocarpum St. Hil.; and one new species in the Phyllocoptinae, Athocoptini - Aculus michereffi sp. nov., associated with Solanum acanthodes Hook.. New host plants for the tomato russet mite, Aculops lycopersici (Tryon 1917), are reported. In addition, the first record of Calacarus speciosissimum Flechtmann, 1999 for Brazil and from Capsicum as host plants, and the first record of Rhynacus lippius Duarte, Chetverikov & Navia, 2016, on solanaceous plants are presented; supplementary descriptions of these species were elaborated. Diagnostic traits for Calacarus mites collected on Solanaceae plants around the world are summarized.

First report of Aculops lycopersici (Tryon, 1917) (Acari: Eriophyidae) on Pepino in Turkey

The tomato russet mite,<em> Aculops lycopersici</em> (Tryon, 1917) (Acari: Eriophyidae) is reported for the first time on Pepino (<em>Solanum muricatum </em>Aiton) in Ordu and Samsun provinces in Turkey.