Peterson Rodrigo Demite

Phytoseiidae is an important family of predatory mites associated with plants in both natural and agricultural environments. In Peru, 66 species belonging to 19 genera have been recorded, which represents only a small portion of the actual diversity in the country. Surveys conducted in agricultural environments, besides providing knowledge about biodiversity, can lead to the discovery of promising species for use in biological control programs. Thus, this study aimed to inventory the diversity of these predators associated with citrus, a major agricultural crop in the country. Samples were collected between 2022 and 2025 across 15 citrus cultivation areas in seven departments: Amazonas (Bagua Grande district: 1 collection area); Ica (Chincha district: 1); Junín (Perené district: 3); Lambayeque (Olmos district: 1); Lima (San Miguel district: 1; Sayán district: 1); Loreto (Iquitos district: 1) and Pasco (Pozuzo district: 3; Oxapampa district: 2 and Huancabamba district: 1). Twenty species of phytoseiids were recorded, belonging to eight genera: Amblyseiinae (18 species) – Amblyseius (11), Euseius (1), Iphiseiodes(2), Neoseiulus (1), Phytoscutus (1), Proprioseiopsis (2); and Typhlodrominae (2 species) – Typhlodromina (1), Typhlodromus(1). The most frequent species, sampled in the largest number of areas, were: Amblyseius vasiformis Moraes andamp; Mesa, recorded in 4 areas, followed by Amblyseius herbicolus (Chant) (3), and Amblyseius aerialis (Muma), Amblyseius leonardi McMurtry andamp; Moraes and Euseius concordis (Chant) (2). The areas with the highest species richness were those in the department of Pasco (Pozuzo: 8 species; Oxapampa: 6, and Huancabamba: 3); Pasco was the department with the highest recorded diversity (13 species). The results indicate that phytoseiid diversity on citrus in Peru is still underestimated, and the information presented supports further studies related to the management and use of beneficial mites in this crop.

The genus Vikramus Denmark and Evans was originally established as a monotypic genus based on its type species, V. cordobus. However, its original description was not sufficiently detailed. In the present study, we provide a redefinition of this genus based on the examination of the holotype female of V. cordobus and detailed photos of the holotype and paratypes of Neoseiulus argentinus Guanilo and Moraes. The genus is recognized as valid based on a unique combination of diagnostic characters, including an elongated ventrianal shield, with its width at the level of seta ZV2 subequal to that at the level of the anal opening; small, rounded preanal solenostomes, relatively well separated and located closer to the bases of setae JV2; a simple, bell-shaped spermatheca, with a small, nodular atrium attached to the calyx by a very short neck, never forked at the juncture with the major duct; chelicera dentition; clubbed and strongly serrated dorsal setae and ventral seta JV5, except for j4, j5, j6, J2, and z5, which are smooth and sharply pointed. Examination of the type specimens revealed that the type species of this genus, V. cordobus, is conspecific with N. argentinus. Accordingly, Vikramus argentinus (Guanilo and Moraes) comb. nov. is recognized as the sole valid species of the genus, and a complementary description is provided. Moreover, the taxonomic status of Vikramus as a distinct valid genus is subsequently discussed and justified based on its unique combination of morphological characters and the polyphyletic nature of Neoseiulus sensu Chant and McMurtry. This study contributes to a clearer definition of generic boundaries within the family Phytoseiidae.

This study provides the first comprehensive survey of Phytoseiidae mites associated with guarana (Paullinia cupana Kunth, Sapindaceae) cultivation in the Central Amazon region, Brazil. Phytoseiidae is a key family of predatory mites for the biological control of pest mites and small insects in agroecosystems. Sampling was conducted between 2019 and 2021 in 20 areas across six municipalities, predominantly managed under agroecological or low-input systems and surrounded by continuous native forest. A total of 23 phytoseiid species belonging to 11 genera were recorded. The most abundant species was Typhlodromips angustus Guanilo and Moraes, representing 42.2% of all collected specimens, followed by Proprioseiopsis neotropicus (Ehara), Iphiseiodes zuluagai Denmark and Muma and Amblydromalus itacoatiarensis Demite, Cavalcante and Lofego. The species found in the greatest number of sites were: P. neotropicus, T. angustus, A. itacoatiarensis, and Amblyseius aerialis (Muma). The community was characterized by both these widely distributed generalist predators and species with restricted occurrence, including four probably new species, highlighting the unique and understudied nature of the local acarofauna. These findings demonstrate that guarana cultivation systems, when embedded in conserved Amazonian landscapes, act as reservoirs of predatory mites, reinforcing their role in biodiversity conservation and in supporting biological control as an essential ecosystem service within Amazonian agroecosystems.

Phytoseiid mites play a key role in regulating mites and small phytophagous insects and are often employed in agricultural systems for biological pest control. Studying the phytoseiid fauna in different ecoregions facilitates the discovery of new biological control agents adapted to local conditions, contributing both to the improvement of control programs and conservation of the natural vegetation that hosts this fauna. The aim of this work was to carry out a survey of phytoseiids and describe a new species for the family in areas of the Caatinga biome in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Sampling was carried out in three areas in the municipalities of Bonito, Caruaru and São Caetano, including a total of 47 botanical species. A total of 1,044 adult specimens (females and males) were collected, belonging to 37 species from 17 genera. Amblyseiinae was the subfamily with the highest number of species reported (26), followed by Typhlodrominae (6) and Phytoseiinae (5). The species Amblyseius operculatus De Leon, Euseius mesembrinus (Dean), Iphiseiodes zuluagai Denmark & Muma, Phytoseius woodburyi De Leon and Galendromus (Mugidromus) agreste Silva, Gondim Jr. & Demite were the most abundant. The highest phytoseiid species richness was observed on Guazuma ulmifolia (Malvaceae), Piper sp. (Piperaceae), Swartzia sp. (Fabaceae), and Trema micrantha (Cannabaceae). The diversity of phytoseiids in the Caatinga biome is high, and their association with native plants may indicate that these plants may serve as important reservoirs. This information can be used to improve future integrated pest management programs. A new species, Metaseiulus (Metaseiulus) fungicolus sp. nov., is described and illustrated, based on adult females.

Two new species of Galendromimus Muma are described based on female and male specimens collected from native plants in the Atlantic Forest of Bahia State, northeastern Brazil: Galendromimus (Galendromimus) primulaporis Santos, Demite & Lofego, sp. nov. and Galendromimus (Galendromimus) striatusornatus Santos, Demite & Lofego, sp. nov. The tribe Galendromimini comprises predatory mites of ecological and agricultural importance. Although well studied in some regions, the diversity and distribution of Phytoseiidae in tropical areas remain incompletely known. Besides the species descriptions, we provide a global distribution summary and an updated identification key for all known Galendromimini species. These contributions improve taxonomic resolution and biogeographic knowledge, facilitating future ecological, evolutionary, and applied research.

Phytoseiidae mites are represented by more than 2,700 species commonly found in plants and soil with some species widely used in biological control programs worldwide. Knowledge of mite diversity in pastures and interactions between Phytoseiidae and grasses is essential for developing more efficient and sustainable management techniques for this crop. Here, we present a survey of Phytoseiidae species in pastures from Goiás State, Brazil, to contribute to the knowledge of the diversity and abundance of these predatory mites. We sampled 15 country properties in the Cerrado domain that had pasture crops used for cattle farming, for a total of 480 samples, from eight different Poaceae species. We recorded 21 species from 10 genera, including 11 new records for Goiás and two species collected for the first time since their original descriptions, namely Amblyseius atibaiensis Mineiro, Lofego and Sato and Proprioseiopsis biologicus Lofego, Demite and Moraes. Only Iphiseiodes zuluagai Denmark and Muma, Neoseiulus benjamini (Schicha), Proprioseiopsis mexicanus (Garman) and Proprioseiopsis biologicus Lofego, Demite and Moraes had previously been reported in Brazilian pastures, while the remaining species are new records in these ecosystems. Proprioseiopsis ovatus (Garman), N. benjamini and P. mexicanus were the most abundant species, whereas only a single individual was found for Amblyseius acalyphus Denmark and Muma, Amblyseius compositus Denmark and Muma, A. lofegoi, I. zuluagai, Neoseiulus gracilis (Muma), Metaseiulus (Metaseiulus) camelliae Chant and Yoshida-Shaul and Silvaseius barretoae Yoshida-Shaul and Chant. These results highlight pastures as reservoirs for predatory mites, with potential for biological control in agroecosystems. However, further studies are necessary to better understand this diversity.

We present a brief discussion of the evolution of our knowledge about the mites in the order Mesostigmata, with an account of the early history of their classification, factors that influenced this process, the difficulties faced by the pioneer taxonomists, the contributions made by successive individuals, and the development of the modern taxonomic concepts. The discussion highlights the Phytoseiidae, for their significant positive effect as biological control agents of pest organisms. In addition, suggestions are presented for the continued progress in the ultimate use of mites for biological control, especially of plant pests.

Phytoseiidae are predatory mites with some species widely used in biological control programs. Currently, 2,985 species have been described, among them, 260 species have already been recorded in Brazil. Several species of phytoseiid mites that inhabiting native vegetation remnants in Brazil have the potential to act as predators of crop pests contributing to natural biological control. Here, we accessed the diversity of phytoseiid mites on plants in three Cerrado vegetation formations. Twenty-one natural vegetation remnants distributed in the grassland, forest and savannah vegetation formations in the municipalities at Barro Alto and Niquelândia, Goiás State, Brazil, were sampled. All sampled remnants were close to areas exploited for nickel mining. Species richness of mites was estimated by first-order Jackknife method in order to compare phytoseiid mite communities in vegetation formations. The similarity in communities among different vegetation formations was evaluated using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and ANOSIM. A total of 279 phytoseiid mites distributed in 19 species and 11 genera were sampled. The richness of mite species estimated for the grassland formation was lower than the one of the forest and savannah remnants. However, the composition of the phytoseiid species did not vary among vegetation formations. The most abundant phytoseiid species sampled were Euseius sibelius (De Leon) (67 specimens), Euseius citrifolius Denmark and Muma (47) and Transeius bellottii (Moraes and Mesa) (29). The present work demonstrated that remnants of natural vegetation of the Cerrado can serve as important reservoirs for the conservation of Phytoseiidae biodiversity, even under the impacts caused by nickel mining activities, and potentially provide ecosystem services for sustainable agricultural yields.

The Phytoseiidae family is considered the most important group of predatory mites, widely and effectively used in the biological control of pest mites and small insects, particularly thrips and whiteflies. This study aims to present the results of a survey of Phytoseiidae mites on wild and cultivated plants in the Espírito Santo State, Brazil. Twenty-four species across 11 genera from the three phytoseiid subfamilies were identified. The genus Amblyseius Berlese was the most diverse, comprising ten species, while Iphiseiodes zuluagai Denmark & Muma was the most common species, found on seven different plant species. Thirteen phytoseiid species and two genera (Phytoseiulus and Transeius) are reported here for the first time in this state.

The diversity of organisms is one of the most fundamental questions in sciences. Here, we inventory species distributed in 273 families of mites from Brazil. Taxonomic information is provided for all 88 superfamilies in Brazil, accompanied by relevant publications for the families, including notes on their identification and importance. However, despite recent taxonomic improvement in a few groups, particularly in Mesostigmata (Dermanyssoidea, Phytoseioidea and Uropodoidea), Ixodida (Ixodoidea), Sarcoptiformes (Analgoidea, Galumnoidea, Oppioidea, Oripodoidea, Phthiracaroidea, Pterolichoidea and Sarcoptoidea) and Trombidiformes (Arrenuroidea, Bdelloidea, Cheyletoidea, Eriophyoidea, Hygrobatoidea, Pygmephoroidea, Tarsonemoidea, Tetranychoidea, Trombiculoidea and Tydeoidea), knowledge remains limited for most other taxa. This limitation underscores the urgent need for taxonomic revisions and improvements in describing new species. Based on groups of host-specificity, we estimate nearly 50,000 species of mites occurring in Brazil, but the diversity could be greater. This enormous gap in our taxonomic knowledge of mites suggests that greater investment in training and hiring acarologists, is essential. In this context, the Taxonomic Catalog of the Brazilian Fauna (TCBF) should serve as a key platform for compiling, updating, and disseminating taxonomic data, ensuring that mite diversity in Brazil is systematically documented and accessible for future research and conservation efforts.