A Revision of the Mite Family Phytoseiidae in Japan (Acari, Gamasina), with Remarks on its Biology

Abstract

The classification of the mite family Phytoseiidae in Japan is revised. The 77 species recognized from Japan are assigned to three subfamilies, five tribes, nine genera, and 11 subgenera. Moreover, three large subgenera are divided into a total of 16 different species groups. A new tribe, Indoseiulini, is proposed, Okiseius Ehara, 1967 is reduced to a subgenus of Amblyseius, and three new species, Amblyseius (Proprioseiopsis) nemotoi, Typhlodromus (Typhlodromus) pseudopyri, and T. (T.) armiger, are described. Additionally, there is a possibility that 'Japanese Amblyseius cucumeris', which was recently reported from Saitama Prefecture in a popular book, is not A. cucumeris (Oudemans), but A. paraki Ehara, a rather common species in Saitama Prefecture. The biology of Japanese phytoseiid mites is also examined, and on this basis the species diversity of the phytoseiid fauna in Japan is interpreted. Finally, relationships between phytoseiid taxa and biological characters are discussed.