Description of the life stages of Amblyseius taiguensis Liu, Ma & Fan, sp. nov. (Acari: Phytoseiidae) from China

Abstract

A new species of mite, Amblyseius taiguensis Liu, Ma & Fan, sp. nov. (Acari: Phytoseiidae), has been recently discovered from Setaria viridis (L.) P. Beauv. (Poaceae) in Taigu County, Shanxi Province, China. The morphology of this new species is described in detail for all life stages, including larva, protonymph, deutonymph and adult female and male. A comparison of the morphology of A. taiguensis sp. nov. with other related species in the genus Amblyseius Berlese has been conducted. This new finding contributes to the diversity of phytoseiid mites in China and the studies of morphological changes could have implications for the understanding of the developmental and evolutionary biology of Amblyseius.