A new synonymy, CO1 barcode, and host and distribution records of the mite Podapolipus luzoni (Acari: Podapolipidae), a subelytral parasite of the invasive beetle, Gonocephalum adpressiforme (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae).

An unusually heavy infestation of 45 adult females and 100% prevalence of the parasitic podapolipid mite, Podapolipus luzoni, was discovered in a population of the invasive tenebrionid beetle species, Gonocephalum adpressiforme, from Japan. Previously, Podapolipus luzoni was known from a single record from the Philippines from an unidentified tenebrionid beetle. We clarify the host range and distribution of the mite species, including its occurrence on Gonocephalum adpressiforme from the Philippines, and discuss its synonymy with Podapolipus alumniae, collected from the same host species in Hawaii. Diagnostic, light microscopy pictures of Podapolipus luzoni are provided. A 1230-bp fragment of the "barcode" CO1 gene was sequenced to facilitate DNA-based identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]