Invasive Mite Identification: Tools for Quarantine and Plant Protection
Taxa covered and relationships between the 9 keys in this Lucid based tool
These keys are designed to provide support to quarantine workers at three levels: training in mite anatomy and identification, preliminary identification (sorting non-actionable from potentially actionable mites), and advanced taxonomic support. The keys range in complexity from Is it a mite?, at a very basic introductory level, to species level treatments (e.g., Stratiolaelaps). The nine keys are interrelated, each treating taxa at various taxonomic levels:
- Is it a mite?: introductory, to aid in distinguishing mites from other taxa
- Major Mite Taxa: covers major groups of taxa at order, suborder, cohort, and superfamily levels; two of the covered taxa are the orders Mesostigmata and Endeostigmata
- Mesostigmata: family, subfamily, and genus level treatments of taxa with commonly encountered species of quarantine concern; two of the covered taxa are the genera Phytoseiulus and Stratiolaelaps
- Phytoseiulus: species level treatment of this genus in the order Mesostigmata
- Stratiolaelaps: species level treatment of this genus in the order Mesostigmata
- Endeostigmata: commonly misidentified genera (and one family)
- Exotic Mite Pest Families: families (and two subfamilies) with commonly encountered species of quarantine concern; the two covered subfamilies are Bryobiinae and Tetranychinae
- Bryobiinae: genus level treatment of this subfamily in the superfamily Tetranychoidea
- Tetranychinae: genus level treatment of this subfamily in the superfamily Tetranychoidea
Additionally, an illustrated glossary with more than 700 terms defined is provided.
Author: David Evans Walter
