ABSTRACT. Survey and naturalistic remarks on the acarological fauna (Acari, Arachnida) from Hevea spp. (Euphorbiaceae) in Brazil. This paper reports twenty eight acarine species belonging to twenty four genera in eleven làmilies, associated with rubber trees, Hevea spp. (Euphorbiaceae), from Brazil. A key to the genera and species is included.

ABSTRACT. Mites diversity (Acari, Arachnida) from rubber tree (Hevea brasi· liensis Muell. Arg., Euphorbiaceae) in Northwestern of Sao Paulo State, Brazil.The mites of three rubber tree cultures (Cedral, Pindorama and Taquaritinga) in order to determine the abundance of populations, the richness, the diversity and the degree of si milarity among the communities was studied. Twenty one species were found , five of which were common to the three cultures. The richness and the abundance were greatest at the beginning of the dry season. The composition of communities differed probably as consequence of the kind of neighboring vegetation to each area, and because of the acaricid pulverization on the culture of Taquaritinga, reducing the richness of mite species in that area. The influence of neighboring vegetation can be shown by the occurrence of lphiseiodes zuluagai Denmark & Muma, 1972, a common species to citrus trees, on neighboring rubber trees in Taquaritinga, and Tenuipalpus heveae Baker, 1945, a common species on rubber trees , on a coffee culture neighbor to the rubber trees of Pindorama. This data suggests that mites move among neighbor cultures, and can be an important factor towards pest management and control. The diversity was small on the three cultures, as a result of the occurrence of one dominant species on each area, Calacarus heveae Feres, 1992 or T. heveae , which are considered pests of the rubber tree . The small di versity and the occurrence of dominant species are patterns expected in monocultures , systems with small environmental heterogeneity .KEY WORDS. Acari, mites, He vea brasiliensis, rubber three, biodiversity, Brazil Pouco se conhece sobre a acarofauna associada a seringueiras (Heveae brasiliensis). Seu estudo foi inicialmente realizado por SILVA (1972) que relacionou 49 especies de artr6podes em seringueiras do Estado de Sao Paulo, incluindo cinco especies de acaros: Allonychus brasiliensis (McGregor, 1950), Eutetranychus banksi (McGregor, 1914), Tetranychus mexican us (McGregor, 1950), Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks, 1904)

The reproductive behavior and the seasonal occurrence of Psecas viridipurpureus were studied at the Estação Ecológica do Noroeste Paulista, a small conservation area in the northwest region of São Paulo State, Brazil (49 degrees 22'50"W and 20 degrees 48'36"S). P. viridipurpureus occurred on "gravatá", a bromeliaceous plant (Bromelia balansae, Bromeliaceae) which does not accumulate rain water. During the courtship display the couple occupied the median region of the "gravatá" leaves, with the male always located in a higher position than the female. The males of P. viridipurpureus showed a complex courtship behavior, which included five motor patterns. The courtship and mating behavior occurred preponderantly during the rainy season and the juvenile recruitment between December and July. The retreat of P. viridipurpureus differs from the Salticidae pattern, since the egg sacs are covered with a plain silk cover and are not wrapped in cocoons.

Diversity and Seasonal Occurrence of Mites (Acari) in a Rubber Tree Crop (Hevea brasiliensis, Muell. Arg.) in Northwestern São Paulo, Brazil ABSTRACT -Brazilian southeastern region has soil and climate conditions suitable for the growing of rubber trees, and most part of national yield arises from São Paulo State. The aims proposed for this work were to determine the diversity, the richness and the seasonal occurrence of mites found in a rubber tree crop in a triennial survey with monthly samplings, as well as to estimate the populational density of the major phytophagous species. This study found 74,407 mites from 26 species belonging to 10 families. The phytophagous and predators represented 95.4% and 3

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-The cultivation of rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Agr.) has increased considerably in northwestern State of São Paulo. The objective of this work was to evaluate the mite fauna in two cultivation systems commonly found in this region, one in monocrop and other in which it is intercropped with "gariroba", Syagrus oleracea (Mart.) Becc. The study was conducted between May 2002 and April 2003, taking monthly samples of 150 leaflets of rubber tree of each plantation and 150 leaflets of gariroba. The faunas of the two systems were similar; the numbers of species, genera and families, as well as the most diverse and abundant families were also similar. Eighteen species were found exclusively on "gariroba". The number of mites on the latter was considerably smaller but species richness was larger than on rubber tree. Of the most frequent and abundant mites on rubbe tree, Eutetranychus banksi (McGregor) and Pronematus sp. were the only ones also frequent on gariroba, but much less abundant. None of the predators abundant on rubber tree (Zetzellia aff. yusti, Euseius citrifolius Denmark & Muma, Pronematus sp. e Spinibdella sp.) were significantly abundant on gariroba. The fungus Hirsutella thompsonii Fisher was the only mite pathogen found in this study, attacking Calacarus heveae Feres. Apparently, in the way it is cultivated in the region, gariroba does not represent an adequate reservoir of the most important predatory mites on rubber tree. KEY WORDS: Biological control, Euphorbiaceae, pest management, alternative substrate, Syagrus oleracea RESUMO -A cultura da seringueira (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Agr.) vem se expandindo consideravelmente no noroeste do estado de São Paulo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a fauna de ácaros em dois sistemas comuns de cultivo nessa região, um em monocultivo e outro em consórcio com gariroba (Syagrus oleracea (Mart.) Becc. O estudo foi conduzido entre maio de 2002 e abril de 2003, tomando-se amostras mensais de 150 folíolos de seringueira de cada plantação e 150 folíolos de gariroba. As faunas dos dois sistemas foram semelhantes; os números de espécies, gêneros e famílias, assim como as famílias mais diversas e mais abundantes foram semelhantes entre eles. Dezoito espécies ocorreram exclusivamente em plantas de gariroba. O número de ácaros sobre estas foi consideravelmente menor, mas a riqueza de espécies foi maior que em seringueiras. Dentre as espécies mais freqüentes e abundantes em seringueira, Eutetranychus banksi (McGregor) e Pronematus sp. foram as únicas também freqüentes em gariroba, porém bem menos abundantes. Nenhum dos predadores abundantes em seringueira (Zetzellia aff. yusti, Euseius citrifolius Denmark & Muma, Pronematus sp. e Spinibdella sp.) foi abundante em gariroba. O fungo Hirsutella thompsonii Fisher foi o único patógeno de ácaros encontrado neste estudo, atacando Calacarus heveae Feres. Aparentemente, na forma como cultivada na região, a gariroba não constitui um reservatório adequado dos ácaros predadores mais importantes em seringueira.

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