The Morphology of the Mouthparts of Tetranychus atlanticus and Observations on Feeding by this Mite on Soybeans1

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Abstract
The mouthparts of the strawberry spider mite, Tetranychus atlanticus McGregor, were found to consist of a pair of slender recurved stylets, a movable mandihular plate in which the basal segment of each stylet is imbedded, and a rostrum which contains the pharynx and which has a groove on its dorsal surface in which the stylets move. Two large muscles attached to the mandibular plate can account for retraction of the stylets. A small protractor of the mandibular plate was demonstrated, but it may not be powerful enough to provide all of the force needed for insertion of the stylets into leaf tissue. The pharynx was found to act as a pump. It is expanded by a powerful group of muscles which originate on the epistome, resulting in an inflow of the contents of plant cells pierced by the stylets. This mite is a primary pest of soybeans and normally inhabits the lower leaf surface. Individuals were observed to feed through the lower epidermis, but damage was shown to result from removal of the contents of palisade and spongy mesophyll cells. A direct relationship was found between temperature and leaf area injured.

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