Mites associated with native Myrtaceae in the Atlantic Forest, with emphasis on the family Phytoseiidae, including an updated version of its world catalog

• Grant number: 11/08941-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Effective date (Start): August 01, 2011
• Effective date (End): July 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Gilberto José de Moraes
• Grantee: Peterson Rodrigo Demite
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Mites (Acari) are an important and diverse group of arthropods in the shoot of plants from natural environments. Studies in natural environments, besides contributing to a better understanding of biological and evolutionary aspects, can lead to the discovery of predatory mites with desirable characteristics in pest management programs. This project aims to study the diversity of mites associated with native Myrtaceae in the Atlantic Forest, a very speciose family in this biome. Emphasis will be given to predatory mites of the family Phytoseiidae, assessing the importance of these plants as a source of mites of this family. Mites of this family are main predators of mites and other small insects that cause damage to crops. Several species of these predators have been used commercially as biological control agents. This study will complement earlier works conducted in the state of São Paulo, in which special emphasis was given to plants of other families. An effort will be devoted to identification of all mites, but all new species of phytoseiid found will be described. An updated version of the current edition of the world catalog of Phytoseiidae will be of key importance to the identification of mites of this family, and is an integrant part of this project. A significant amount of information on the taxonomy of this group has been published since then, including descriptions, redescriptions, new records, and a significant change in the classification system. Both the acquisition of new data concerning the occurrence of mites in Myrtaceae of the Atlantic Forest and the updated version of the phytoseiid catalog correspond to a significant contribution to the scientific knowledge, with possible future implications for biological control of pest mites using predatory mites. (AU)

Scientific publications

(8)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DEMITE, PETERSON R.; MCMURTRY, JAMES A.; DE MORAES, GILBERTO J.. Phytoseiidae Database: a website for taxonomic and distributional information on phytoseiid mites (Acari). Zootaxa, v. 3795, n. 5, p. 571-577, MAY 15 2014. (11/08941-3)

LOFEGO, ANTONIO CARLOS; CERQUEIRA CAVALCANTE, ANA CRISTINA; DEMITE, PETERSON RODRIGO; REZENDE, JOSE MARCOS; OCHOA, RONALD; DE MORAES, GILBERTO JOSE. Reinstatement of Metatarsonemus Attiah (Acari: Tarsonemidae), with description of a new species, redefinition of the genus and a key to the world species. Zootaxa, v. 4711, n. 2, p. 307-329, DEC 16 2019. (11/08941-3, 19/09973-8, 16/16779-5, 15/19867-0)

RUEDA-RAMIREZ, DIANA; SANTOS, JANDIR C.; SOURASSOU, NAZER FAMAH; DEMITE, PETERSON R.; PUERTA-GONZALEZ, ANDRES; DE MORAES, GILBERTO J.. Complementary description of Africoseius lativentris and placement of Africoseius in Podocinidae (Acari, Mesostigmata) based on molecular and morphological evidences. SYSTEMATIC AND APPLIED ACAROLOGY, v. 24, n. 12, p. 2369-2394, DEC 2019. (11/08941-3, 12/21412-2)

FLECHTMANN, CARLOS H. W.; AMRINE, JR., J. W.. A NEW SPECIES OF TEGOPRIONUS KEIFER (PROSTIGMATA: ERIOPHYIDAE) FROM BRAZIL, DESCRIBED FROM ALL MOTILE STAGES, WITH AN OVERVIEW OF THE GENUS TEGOPRIONUS. ACAROLOGIA, v. 54, n. 1, p. 81-88, MAR 2014. (11/08941-3)

LOFEGO, ANTONIO C.; DEMITE, PETERSON R.; DE MORAES, GILBERTO J.. A new genus and species of Tarsonemidae (Acari: Heterostigmata) from the Atlantic Forest, Brazil. Zootaxa, v. 3986, n. 5, p. 561-568, JUL 21 2015. (11/08941-3)

LOFEGO, ANTONIO C.; PITTON, THAFAREL; REZENDE, JOSE M.. A new genus and new species of Tarsonemidae (Acari: Heterostigmata) from the Brazilian rainforests. SYSTEMATIC AND APPLIED ACAROLOGY, v. 21, n. 3, p. 307-319, MAR 2016. (11/19890-0, 11/08941-3)

CAVALCANTE, ANA C. C.; DEMITE, PETERSON R.; AMARAL, FELIPE S. R.; LOFEGO, ANTONIO C.; DE MORAES, GILBERTO J.. Complementary description of Neoseiulus tunus (De Leon) (Acari: Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) and observation on its reproductive strategy. ACAROLOGIA, v. 57, n. 3, p. 591-599, 2017. (06/55725-6, 11/08941-3, 04/04820-3)

LOFEGO, A. C.; CAVALCANTE, A. C. C.; DEMITE, P. R.. Two New Species of Xenotarsonemus (Acari: Tarsonemidae) from the Atlantic Forest, Brazil. Neotropical Entomology, v. 47, n. 2, p. 271-280, APR 2018. (11/08941-3)