About the keys

The genera key enables the user to identify any known genus of flat mite from around the world. A detailed fact sheet covering diagnostics, hosts and distribution is included for each genus. The key is based on adult female specimens only, although in some instances males and more rarely older nymphs may also key out. If your specimen keys to the genus Dolichotetranychus or Tenuipalpus, detailed fact sheets for the important species D. floridanus and T. pacificus, T. crassulus, and T. nr crassulus, respectively, are provided for comparison.

The Brevipalpus key is Part II of a key to important Brevipalpus species, based on adult females. It enables the user to identify commonly intercepted species of Brevipalpus from around the world, and at least one representative of each species-group is included in the key for comparison. A fact sheet covering diagnostics, hosts, and distribution is available for each species included. Currently, the taxon names B. californicus and B. phoenicis actually represent several species. As such, the information available in the literature for these species is rendered close to useless, as the true identity of each species in question is now a mystery. For simplicity, these two species are presented as species groups which are divided into species A, B, C, etc. within the key. These species groups are currently being resolved by Beard, Ochoa and Bauchan (in prep.), and updates will be made to the key when they become available. The Brevipalpus californicus group is divided into 3 species, and the B. phoenicis group is divided into 7 species. Two fact sheets are provided for each of the B. californicus group species – a detailed, specific fact sheet for each species and a general fact sheet for the species group.

The Raoiella key enables the user to identify all previously described species of Raoiella in addition to some new species from Australia. The new species are referred to in a molecular analysis of the genus by Dowling, Ochoa, Beard, Welbourn and Ueckermann (2012)) and are being described by Beard, Ochoa, Bauchan and Dowling (in prep.). For simplicity, the new species are referred to in the key by numbers that correspond to those used in Dowling et al. (2012) and additional numbers where required. A detailed fact sheet covering diagnostics, hosts, and distribution is included for each species.

The Cenopalpus key enables the user to identify the 3 species of Cenopalpus most commonly intercepted by quarantine world wide. A detailed fact sheet covering diagnostics, hosts and distribution is included for each species.