Phytoseiid mites (Acari : Phytoseiidae) on Myrtaceae in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

Eighteen predatory mite species of the family Phytoseiidae are reported from three sites of the Cerrado ecosystem in the State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, on seven plant species of the family Myrtaceae. This paper provides a list of those species and compares relevant morphological characteristics of the specimens collected with those of the original descriptions and/or redescriptions of the corresponding species. A key is provided to help in the separation of the species mentioned in the paper. Some of the species collected have been reported as common predators on dominant crops in the region where the work was done. Their occurrence on Myrtaceae plants found naturally in the Cerrado ecosystem indicates that those plants could represent important reservoirs of those predators.