Phytoseiid Mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) of the Azores Islands

Abstract

The fauna of phytoseiid mites (Phytoseiidae) is still scarcely known in the Azores archipelago. A survey was conducted in the islands of Pico, Faial and Flores where phytoseiid mites were collected from native, cultivated and invasive plants. Twenty-two species were collected, nine of which represent new records for the Azores. Five new species, Neoseiulus petraeus Ferragut sp. nov., Phytoseius azorensis Ferragut sp. nov., Typhlodromus (Typhlodromus) atlanticus Ferragut sp. nov., T. (T.) floresiensis Ferragut sp. nov. and Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) septemporosus Ferragut sp. nov., are described and illustrated. We provide complementary morphological information for four known species, additional features for the separation of Typhlodromina tropica (Chant) and T. subtropica (Muma & Denmark) and the redescription of Amblyseius elongatus (Garman). A key to separate the phytoseiid species of the Azores is also included.