Mesostigmata

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Taxonomy

updated 2025

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 and 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 and Walter 1996Beard and Walter 1996:
  Beard JJ, Walter DE. 1996. Australian mites of the genera Paraphytoseius and Paraamblyseius (Acarina: Phytoseiidae). Australian Journal of Entomology 35: 235–241.
• Chant and McMurtry 1994Chant and McMurtry 1994:
  Chant DA, McMurtry JA. 1994. A review of the subfamilies Phytoseiinae and Typhlodrominae (Acari: Phytoseiidae). International Journal of Acarology 20: 223–310.
• Chant and McMurtry 2003bChant and McMurtry 2003b:
  Chant DA, McMurtry JA. 2003b. A review of the subfamily Amblyseiinae Muma (Acari: Phytoseiidae): Part II. The tribe Kampimodromini. International Journal of Acarology 29: 179–224.
• Schicha 1987Schicha 1987:
  Schicha E. 1987. Phytoseiidae of Australia and neighbouring areas. Indira Publishing House, Oak Park, Michigan.
• Tseng 1976Tseng 1976:
  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 1999Walter 1999:
  Walter DE. 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 and Beard 1997Walter and Beard 1997:
  Walter DE, Beard JJ. 1997. A review of the Australian Phytoseiinae (Acari: Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae). Invertebrate Taxonomy 11: 823–860.