Amblyseius Berlese

Lofego, Antonio Carlos, Barbosa, Marina Ferraz De Camargo, Demite, Peterson Rodrigo & Moraes, Gilberto José De, 2024, Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) of the subfamily Amblyseiinae from Brazil, Zootaxa 5439 (1), pp. 1-306 : 8-9

Amblyseius Berlese

Amblyseius Berlese, 1914: 143 .

Amblyseius . — Moraes et al., 1986: 5, 2004b: 12; Chant & McMurtry, 2004a: 188, 2007: 73.

Type species. Zercon obtusus Koch, 1839 : 27.13, sensu Karg, 1960: 443.

Main distinguishing characteristics. Dorsal shield mostly smooth, reticulate or striate anterolaterally (lightly to conspicuously reticulate in A. bryophilus Karg , A. rademacheri Dosse and A. tenuis (Hirschmann)) . Idiosomal setal pattern usually 10A:9B/JV-3:ZV; relatively few species with setal pattern 10A:8E/JV-3:ZV (pusillus species group Chant & McMurtry) or 10A:8A/JV-3:ZV (sundi species group; in some species also -JV-4, in others also -ZV-3); setae j1, j3, s4 and (mainly) Z4 and Z5 distinctly longer than other setae (the last two most often whip-shaped); ratio s4 / S2>3.0. Sternal shield often slightly wider than long; posterior margin straight to slightly concave. Ventrianal shield usually varying from vase-shaped ( largoensis species group McMurtry & Moraes) to pentagonal, but ventral shield separated from the anal shield in some species ( perditus species subgroup Denmark & Muma of the largoensis group); ventrianal shield reduced in a few species, then with less than three pairs of pre-anal setae (as in A. italicus Chant and A. chanioticus Papadoulis ). Spermathecal calyx saccular, tubular, bell-, cone-, disc-, funnel-, horn- or trumpet-shaped. Fixed and movable cheliceral digits with 7–19 ( A. bidens Karg , A. bryophilus and A. varius Hirschmann with 3–5 teeth) and 0–5 teeth, respectively. Tarsus I of most species with an erect seta; macrosetae present on legs I–IV, sharp-tipped (only on leg IV in A. malvus , here provisionally placed; slightly capitate in A. pretoriaensis Ueckermann & Loots and A. sorakensis Ryu ). Male ventrianal shield usually with three pairs of pre-anal setae arranged in a triangular pattern (in some species, 4–5 pairs); spermadactyl type heel-and-toe, L- or wand-shaped.

Remarks. This is the most diverse Amblyseiinae genus in Brazil. Forty-eight of the 381 species presently included in the genus have been reported from that country. The most frequently reported species in Brazil are by far A. aerialis (Muma) and A. chiapensis De Leon, followed by A. compositus Denmark & Muma, A. herbicolus (Chant) , A. largoensis (Muma) , A. operculatus De Leon and A. tamatavensis Blommers. Worldwide , species of this genus have been most commonly reported from plants, but also quite often from soil.