In this study three types of domatia; Tuft (T), Pocket-Tuft (PT) and Pocket (P) were observed on some species of the genus Cornus. Cornus officinalis Sieb & Zuee and C. florida Linnaeus possess T type, C. controversa Hemsl and C. walteri Wangerin possess PT type while C. alba Linnaeus possess P type. A total of 120 leaves were investigated for foliar mite’s population. T type domatia was the habitat of 329 mites (48.89%), followed by PT type where 198 mites (29.41%) were found, and the least favored was the P type domatia that accommodated 146 mites (21.70%) out of 673 mites in total. The mean number of mites per domatia was 8(±0.22), 4(±0.95) and 3(±0.70) for T, PT and P type, respectively. The alternative hypothesis that foliar mites prefer T type domatia as a habitat than PT and P type domatia was accepted based on these findings at a probability of P<0.05. Thus, it was concluded that foliar mites prefer T type domatia than the other two types. This could be due to the nature and efficiency of T type domatia in ensuring mites protection from predators and unfriendly environmental conditions. Therefore, the presence of denser tufts lowers the risks of predation and unfriendly environmental conditions and results in a higher number of mites.

• Issakwisa Bernard Ngondya(Dept. of Forest Resources, College of Agriculture, Graduate School of Industry, Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Wildlife Division, Ivory Room, Nyerere Road P.O Box 1994 Dar-Es-salaam)
• Bong-Gyu Kim(Bio/Molecular Informatics Center (BMIC), Konkok University) Corresponding author
• Rashid Ismael Hag Ibrahim(Dept. of Horticulture, College of Life Sci. and Natural Res., Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology)