First records of the pitcher plant mite Sarraceniopus gibsoni (Nesbitt, 1954) (Astigmata: Histiostomatidae) in Europe

The carnivorous pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea has been introduced across Europe from North America. Thus far, whether the inquiline species intimately associated with S. purpurea have also been introduced had not been studied. Sarraceniopus gibsoni is the obligate mite species found in S. purpurea and is ubiquitous within the pitchers in North America. Three sites in Britain and Ireland were sampled. Two of the three sites were confirmed to support S. gibsoni populations, one site in Ireland and one in England. The presence of S. gibsoni suggests that living plants of S. purpurea had been introduced to the sites hosting mite populations.