To the species structure of predatory phytoseiid mites (Parasitiformes, Phytoseiidae) of state reserve “Elanetskyi Step”

As material for this work the gatherings of the author executed in 2016 year. On 43 species of plants 85 samples in which 249 copies of phytoseiid mites are revealed are taken. For the statistical analysis used an occurrence index (P1, %) and an index of domination of Paliya-Kovnatski (Di). Species structure of predatory phytoseiid mites (Parasitiformes: Phytoseiidae) in plant associations of state reserve "Elanetskyi step" (Mykolaiv region, Ukraine) were studied at the first time. 21 species of 7 genera of the family are detected (A. andersoni, A. herbarius, A. maior, N. marginatus, N. reductus, N. tauricus, E. finlandicus, D. echinus, T. tiliarum, P. intermixtus, P. soleiger, A. caudiglans, A. rapida, A. pirianykae, A. recki, A. verrucosa, A. spectata, T. cotoneastri, T. laurae, T. tiliae). Frequency of occurrence and fidelity to different types of plant communities for each species of mites were determined. Amlydromella (s. str.) recki, the most common species, was with occurrence index 35.3%. The species Amblydromella (s. str.) rapida, Amblydromella (Litoseia) spectata, and Paraseiulus intermixtus were the rare species (one specimen of each species was presented at collections). Amblydromella (s. str.) recki was the dominant in the complex of plant-feeding predatory mites. Three species, A. pirianykae, A. andersoni and E. finlandicus, were the subdominants. Typhlodromus cotoneastri was the subdominant of the first order. The remaining 16 species were the secondary members of the complex.

Peculiarities of Distribution of Two Amblydromella Species (Phytoseiidae, Parasitiformes) in the Zone of Their Natural Intergradation in the Eastern Ukraine

Distribution of two morphologically and ecologically related species of predatory phytoseiid mites of the genus Amblydromella (A. pirianykae and A. recki) in a zone of their natural intergradation (mountain ridge Donetsky Kriazh in the east of Ukraine) is studied for the first time. The list of plants populated by both predators is given. Consistent patterns of mite distribution on life forms of plants are determined biotopical fidelity on the basis of the coefficient. Very rarely, A. pirianykae and A. recki mites simultaneously populate the same plant organism (only 1.6 % of all samples) which can be attributed to the partially resolved antagonistic relationships. Th e basis of the antagonism is, in the first place, similarity of food preferences of the predators that, in principle, occupy the same ecological niche. Dramatic finale of this confrontation is the elimination of one of the species which has no distinct advantage in the specific conditions of a local microhabitat.

Species Complexes of Predatory Phytoseiid Mites (Parasitiformes, Phytoseiidae) in Green Urban Plantations of Uman’ (Ukraine)

Structure of species complexes of predatory phytoseiid mites (Phytoseiidae) and their distribution were studied in plant associations of Uman’ town (Cherkasy Region, Ukraine). Twelve species of seven genera of phytoseiid mites were revealed. It was observed centripetal reduction of the species diversity in the phytoseiid complexes from the outlying districts to the center of the town.