First report of the phytoseiid mite Neoparaphytoseius charapa Jiménez, McMurtry & Moraes, 2014 (Acari: Phytoseiidae) to Brazil, with notes on the occurrence of the genus

Phytoseiid mites collected on Inga edulis L. (Leguminosae) in three localities in the Amazonas State, Brazil, were identified as Neoparaphytoseius charapa Jiménez, McMurtry & Moraes, 2014. This is the first report of this species in Brazil. Notes on geographic occurrence and association of Neoparaphytoseius Chant & McMurtry, 2003 species with host plants are presented.

Phytoseiidae mites associated with native and cultivated solanaceous in Central-West Brazil

Predatory mites represent important biological control agents and those belonging to the Phytoseiidae family are the most promising for the control of phytophagous mites and small insects. The control of key pests of tomato and other solanaceous crops, highlighting phytophagous mites, has been a challenge and the biological control constitutes a promising strategy. Prospecting predatory mites in wild host plants, natural environments as well as in agroecosystems is relevant because these non-crop and crop areas can serve as reservoirs for promising species for biological control programs. This study aimed to know the Phytoseiidae fauna associated with wild and cultivated solanaceous plants in a poorly prospected area in Brazil, the Central-West Region. A detailed taxonomic identification of phytoseiid mites was conducted, and the most important morphological traits are presented for each species. In addition, associated phytophagous mites mainly belonging to the Tetranychidae, Tenuipalpidae and Eriophyoidea were identified. Surveys were carried out in 23 species of solanaceous collected in the Distrito Federal (12 areas) and Goiás State (1 area), from February 2017 to January 2018. Nineteen species of predators belonging to ten genera were recorded: Amblyseius (2 species), Euseius (3), Galendromus (1), Iphiseiodes (1), Neoseiulus (3), Paraphytoseius (1), Phytoseius (3), Proprioseiopsis (2), Typhlodromalus (2, one probably new to science) and Typhlodromips (1). Solanum lycocarpum was the solanaceous that harbored the highest richness (11 species), as well as the one with the highest abundance of phytoseiids (250 specimens). Typhlodromalus aripo was the most common species, being the most abundant (423 specimens; 32%) and registered on the largest number of hosts (14). Many of phytoseiid species found present morphological traits that facilitate their occurrence in leaves with trichomes, as in the case of tomato and other cultivated solanaceous. These traits and the association between predators and phytophagous mites may indicate that these species are promising for biological control programms. Thus, extensive studies to assess the efficiency of the identified predatory mites to control key solanaceous pests are required.

Functional response of Amblyseius eharai (Acari: Phytoseiidae) on Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Amblyseius eharai is a generalist predatory mite that consumes spider mites, rust mites, thrips, and pollen, with a high adaptability to various plants. To better understand ecological and behavioral aspects of this species, we investigated its functional response to different stages of two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae. Furthermore, we compared its environmental adaptability with that of other referenced phytoseiids using a temperature-dependent model of the intrinsic rate of increase. We were able to calculate the functional response parameters of both sexes of A. eharai when preying on eggs or larvae of T. urticae and, for females only, when preying on the deutonymph of T. urticae. Among the various combinations tested herein, A. eharai females preying on T. urticae larvae had the highest attack rate and shortest handling time. For eggs of T. urticae, A. eharai showed a lower attack rate; however, its handling time for eggs was significantly shorter compared to other phytoseiids. Using T. urticae larva as a prey, the attack rate of female A. eharai was higher and the handling time of both sexes of this species was shorter than those of other phytoseiid mites. Amblyseius eharai populations can show maximum performance quickly due to this species’ lower optimal temperature for population growth (28.1°C) compared to other phytoseiid mites. Thus, we provided evidence that this predatory mite has the potential to be a new, effective biological control agent of greenhouse pests such as T. urticae due to its high predation capacity and low optimal temperature.

Description of eleven new species of phytoseiid mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) from Meghalaya state, north eastern India

A survey was done in the state of Meghalaya, India covering East Khasi Hills, West Jaintia Hills and Ri-Bhoi districts during May to July, 2019. During the survey 350 specimens were collected from which 11 new species are described—Amblyseius azaliae sp. nov., Amblyseius meghalayensis sp. nov., Euseius fascae sp. nov., Euseius dwakiensis sp. nov., Okiseius jainticus sp. nov., Okiseius unisetatus sp. nov., Phytoseius clavus sp. nov., Phytoseius aonlae sp. nov., Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) barapanicus sp. nov., Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) campana sp. nov., and Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) cherrapunjiensis sp. nov.

Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) from the Atlantic Forest in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with complementary description of Amblyseius impeltatus Denmark & Muma

Phytoseiid mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) have been largely used for the biological control of arthropod pests. However, information on the phytoseiid fauna associated with plants of the Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil is still scanty. Surveys were carried out in two areas of Atlantic Forest in Rio de Janeiro State – Jaguanum island and Paraty. We report 11 species of seven genera from all three subfamilies. A complementary re-description is provided for Amblyseius impeltatus Denmark & Muma, 1973 and measurements are provided for ten other species.

Description of five new species of Amblyseiinae (Acari: Phytoseiidae) associated with medicinal plants from the Northern Himalayan Zone of West Bengal, India

Five new species of phytoseiid mites in the subfamily Amblyseiinae are described from specimens collected from princess flower (Tibouchina urvilleana Cogn.: Melastomataceae), datura (Datura metel L.: Solanaceae), rose (Rosa chinensis Jacq.: Rosaceae), and cinchona (Cinchona officinalis L.: Rubiaceae) from the northern hill zone of West Bengal in the Central Himalayan Mountain region, namely Amblyseiulella tibouchina sp. nov., Amblyseius rishyapensis sp. nov., Okiseius ramdhuracus sp. nov., Okiseius roseus sp. nov., and Typhlodromips cinchonai sp. nov.

Coniferous plants as potential reservoirs of phytoseiid mites (Parasitiformes: Phytoseiidae) in Poland

Coniferous trees and shrubs growing in natural stands are important reservoirs of naturally-occurring predators belonging to the family Phytoseiidae (Mesostigmata: Phytoseioidea). The fauna of these mites on eight native coniferous species in Poland was surveyed and an exploratory statistical investigation was carried out into mite-conifer associations. The conifers were growing in forests, national parks and nature reserves throughout Poland. A total of 2,540 specimens of phytoseiids belonging to nine species was identified. Four species were new for the Polish fauna, i.e., Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) inopinatus (Wainstein), T. (A.) caucasicus (Abbasova), T. (A.) singularis Chant and Neoseiulus gracilentus (Hirschmann). Among the studied coniferous taxa, Picea abies (L.) H. Karst supported the greatest numbers of both species and individual mites. The highest biodiversity indexes for the phytoseiids were obtained for Taxus baccata L. and Juniperus communis L. Among the phytoseiid species found, T. (T.) tiliae Oudemans occurred on all eight host species surveyed. Typhlodromus (A.) bakeri (Garman) and T. (T.) tiliae were the most dominant species and occurred on conifers with high constancy. Amblyseius andersoni (Chant) co-dominated with them on J. communis and P. abies. New to the knowledge of Phytoseiidae-host plant records were T. (A.) singularis on P. abies, T. (T.) tiliae on Pinus mugo Turra, Pi. cembra L., J. communis and T. baccata, N. gracilentus on J. communis and Pi. mugo, and T. (A.) inopinatus on Abies alba Mill., Larix decidua Mill. and P. abies. Additionally, for Poland, new Phytoseiidae-host plant associations were T. (A.) inopinatus on Pinus sylvestris L., T. (A.) bakeri on J. communis and T. baccata, T. (A.) caucasicus on A. alba, T. baccata and P. abies, and T. (A.) singularis on L. decidua.