Graminaseius graminis (Chant, 1956)

Amblyseius graminis Chant, 1956: 34.

Typhlodromus (Amblyseius) graminis.—Chant, 1959: 89.

Amblyseius (Typhlodromus) graminis.—Muma, 1961: 287.

Typhlodromus (Typhlodromus) graminis.—Westerboer & Bernhard, 1963: 636.

Amblyseius (Amblyseius) graminis.—Wainstein, 1973: 178; Wainstein, 1975: 920; Wainstein, 1977: 1415; Ueckermann & Loots, 1988: 132.

Neoseiulus graminis.—Moraes et al., 1986: 81.

Amblyseius graminis.—Moraes et al., 2004: 26.

Graminaseius graminis.—Chant & McMurtry, 2007: 85.

This species is distributed world-wide but mainly reported from Europe and North Africa. It is known from Algeria and Tunisia (Kreiter et al., 2010). It has been collected on a great variety of plants including plum, pear, apple, citrus and horticultural crops (Ferragut et al., 1985; Minarro et al., 2002; Perez Otero et al., 2005; Kreiter et al., 2010; Sahraoui et al., 2012). Nothing is known of its biology. This species was already reported from Morocco by McMurtry & Bounfour (1989). A total of 249 specimens was collected in the present survey, mainly on the Atlantic Ocean coast and on herbaceous plants.

Specimens examined: 2002, Aïoun Asserdoun Spring on Punica granatum (Lythraceae) (1 female), Bouazza on Carlina racemosa (Asteraceae) (7 females, 3 males), Eryngium maritimum (Apiaceae) (1 female), Centaurea sphaerocephala (Asteraceae) (15 females, 3 males), Scolymus maculatus (Asteraceae) (5 females), Emex spinosa (Polygonaceae) (4 females), Euphorbia pithyusa (Euphorbiaceae) (3 females), Medicago marina (Fabaceae) (5 females), Gorges of Dadès, Aït Arbi on Mentha sp. (Lamiaceae) (10 females, 4 males), Road from El Jadida to Casablanca on Solananum sodomeum (Solonaceae) (4 females), Rhus sp. (Anacardiaceae) (1 female), Echium humile (Boraginaceae) (8 females, 4 males), Oum Er Biaroad on Convolvulus altheoides (Convolvulaceae) (7 females), Calamentha sp. (Lamiaceae) (1 female), Road of Beni Mellal, 70 Kms of Kenifra on Centaurea sp. (Asteraceae) (7 females), Convolvulus sp. (Convolvulaceae) (1 female); 2003, near Larache on Asphodelus fistulosus (Xanthorrhoeaceae) (1 female), Spartel Cape on Lythrum tribracteatum (Lythraceae) (2 females), Echium vulgare (Boraginaceae) (4 females, 2 males), El Jadida on Verbascum sinuatum (Scrophulariaceae) (5 females, 3 males), Larache Beach on Lycium europaeum (Solanaceae) (1 female), Lygos sphaerocarpa (Fabaceae) (1 female), Pistacia lentiscus (Anacardiaceae) (1 female), Solanum sodomaceum (Solanaceae) (4 females, 2 males), Medicago marina (Fabaceae) (4 females), Chenopodium album (Amaranthaceae) (1 female), Andryala sp. (Asteraceae) (2 females), Anthemis tinctoria (Asteraceae) (9 females, 4 males), Cakile maritima (Brassicaceae) (2 females), Conyza canadensis (Asteraceae) (8 females, 3 males), Echium italicum (Boraginaceae) (2 females), Echium vulgare (Boraginaceae) (14 females), Erodium ciconium (Geraniaceae) (3 females), Euphorbia peplus (Euphorbiaceae) (2 females), Lycopersicum esculentum (Solanaceae) (11 females, 5 males), Lythrum portula (Lythraceae) (1 female), Malcolmia maritima (Brassicaceae) (3 females), Otanthus maritimus (Asteraceae) (2 females), Plantago maritima (Plantaginaceae) (7 females), Polygonum maritimum (Polygonaceae) (1 female), Richardia picuoides (Rubiaceae) (2 females), Salsola kali (Amaranthaceae) (4 females), Silene succulenta (Apiaceae) (1 female), Trifolium boisseri (Fabaceae) (2 females), Road of Tiz'n Tichka on Malva parviflora (Malvaceae) (1 female), Mazari Cape on Hypericum sp. (Hypericaceae) (3 females), Echium vulgare (Boraginaceae) (1 female), Guerbouss Moutain pass on Convolvulus valentinus (Convolvulaceae) (2 females), Gorges of Zegzel on Mentha pulegium (1 female), Lavandula multifida (Lamiaceae) (2 females), Izemmouren on Melissa officinalis (2 females), Ajuga iva (Lamiaceae) (1 female), Ras El Ma on Cynoglossum creticum (Boraginaceae) (1 female), Mentha suaveolens (Lamiaceae) (1 female), Road to Souk El Arba on Coleostephus myconis (Asteraceae) (13 females, 5 males).

Previous records: Algeria, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Canary Islands (Moraza & Pena, 2005), Chile (Ragusa & Vargas, 2002; Rioja & Vargas, 2009), Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran (Hajizadeh & Nazari, 2012), Israel, Italy, Latvia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, USA.