20 Michael K. Hennessey, David L. Stephan, Maurice H. Farrier 



Prasad (1970) recorded 20 species of spider mites and 3 species of false 

 spider mites from Michigan. Flechtmann and Hunter (1971) catalogued 

 27 species of spider mites representing 10 genera for Georgia. Ten spe- 

 cies of Tetranychidae but no species of Tenuipalpidae were recorded for 

 North Carolina by Brimley (1938) and Wray (1967). 



Our list summarizes records for species of spider mites and false 

 spider mites for North Carolina and provides information to collectors 

 about additional species that might be found in the state when more 

 extensive collecting is done. The list is based on published records and 

 on approximately 1000 specimens, nearly all of which were collected in 

 North Carolina, in the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Insect 

 Collection, including Extension Entomology reference collections. An 

 asterisk after the mite species name in Table 1 indicates specimens are in 

 the NCSU collections and were associated with host plants also marked 

 with an asterisk. 



Since the North Carolina climate encompasses mild coastal as well 

 as cooler mountain elements and a very diverse flora, we included spe- 

 cies recorded in the literature from Connecticut, Delaware, District of 

 Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missis- 

 sippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Ten- 

 nessee, Texas, and Virginia on the probability that their range includes 

 North Carolina because suitable host plants and climate are present. 

 The collection record given is for the state geographically nearest North 

 Carolina, although the mite may be known from several other states. 

 The recorded hosts for each species include one or two hosts that occur 

 in North Carolina according to Radford et al. (1968). If more than two 

 hosts are known, they are included under "others" and may be found by 

 consulting the reference given for the mite species. The exception is for 

 species in NCSU collections, where all of the hosts for our specimens 

 are given. Common names of most hosts are listed, as these are the 

 names that appeared with collection data; however, in some cases scien- 

 tific names are presented, because these were given in the literature and 

 no common names are provided in Radford et al. (1968). Nomenclature 

 of hosts follows Radford et al. (1968) and Bailey Hortorium Staff 

 (1976). 



Twenty-eight species of spider mites are represented by specimens 

 in the NCSU collections, and eight more species are recorded in the 

 literature as being from the state. Fifty-seven additional species may 

 occur in the state. Five species of false spider mites are represented by 

 specimens in the NCSU collections, and an additional two species are 

 recorded in t the literature as having been collected in North Carolina. 

 Twenty-nine additional species may occur in the state. 



Only 39% of the spider mites and 19% of the false spider mites 

 recorded from the eastern half of the United States are known to be 

 present in North Carolina. Thus, there is still a need for more thorough 

 collections within the state. Future collectors are encouraged to record 

 host information carefully, as correct plant species or cultivar identifica- 

 tion is useful in identifying the mites and determining their host 

 specificity. 



