Taxonomic Position

Cohort Gamasina

    Subcohort Dermanyssiae

  Superfamily Phytoseioidea

Family Phytoseiidae Berlese

Subfamily Amblyseiinae

Paraphytoseius Swirski & Schechter, 1961

 

Diagnostic characters:

• Amblyseiinae (both setae z3 and s6 suppressed ) with narrow bodies

• Dorsal shield notched at level of s4; several long, thickened and barbed setae; setae Z4, Z5 elongate and adjacent; seta S4 present. S5 present or absent. 

• Ventrianal shield +/- vase-shaped. 

• Legs IV with 3-5 large macrosetae. 

• Chelicerae chelate-serrate.

 

Similar taxa.  Species of Phytoseius and Platyseiella have setae z3 (although they are often minute) and Phytoseius also has seta s6 ; both lack seta S4 and do not have serrate chelicerae.

 

Key to the subtribe Paraphytoseiina Chant & McMurtry 2003

 

1.  Seta J2 present ..... Neoparaphytoseius Chant & McMurtry

-    Seta J2 absent ..... 2

 

2.  Seta S2 present ..... Amblyseiulella Muma

-    Seta S2 absent ..... Paraphytoseius

 

Ecology & Distribution. Species of Paraphytoseius, like those of Phytoseius, are largely restricted to vegetation with a moderate to dense layer of tomentum.  Most species appear to have a tropical-subtropical distribution.

 

References

Beard JJ & Walter DE.  1996.  Australian Mites of the genera Paraphytoseius  and Paraamblyseius (Acarina: Phytoseiidae).  Australian Journal of Entomology 35: 235-241.

Chant DA. & McMurtry JA. 1994.  A review of the subfamilies  Phytoseiinae and Typhlodrominae (Acari: Phytoseiidae).  International Journal of Acarology 20: 223-310.

Chant DA & McMurtry JA.  2003.  A review of the subfamily Amblyseiinae Muma (Acari: Phytoseiidae): Part II.  The tribe Kampimodromini.  International Journal of Acarology 29: 179-224.

Schicha e.  1987.  Phytoseiidae of Australia and Neighbouring Areas.  (Indira Publishing House, Oak Park, Michigan, USA.)

Tseng YH.  1976.  Systematics of the mite family Phytoseiidae from Taiwan, with a revised key to the genera of the world (II).  Journal of the Agricultural Association of China 94: 86-128.

Walter, D.E.  1999.  A review of Australian Asperoseius Chant, Euseius Wainstein, Okiseius Ehara and Phytoscutus Muma (Acari: Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) with a key to the genera of Australian Amblyseiinae and descriptions of three new species.  Australian Journal of Entomology 38: 85-95.

Walter DE & Beard JJ.  1997.  A Review of the Australian Phytoseiinae (Acari: Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae).  Invertebrate Taxonomy 11: 823-860.