Neoseiulus Hughes

Neoseiulus Hughes

Neoseiulus Hughes, 1948: 141. Type species Neoseiulus barkeri Hughes, 1948.

For extensive synonymy see under Neoseiulus in Moraes et al. (2004, pp 98–153).

Diagnosis. Dorsal shield of female with 17 pairs of setae and seven pairs of solenostomes (it, id, iv, isc, il, is, ic); moderately or well sclerotised, smooth or reticulated. Setae AS and PS on interscutal membrane. Dorsal setae simple, smooth, approximately equal length (PM3 usually longer than others and serrated). Peritremes long with chetoids (“perforated”). Sternal shield with three pairs of setae. Ventrianal shield elongated, pentagonal or almost quadrate in form, wider than caudal part of genital shield, with three pairs of pre-anal setae. Anal pores maybe present or absent. Normally only legs IV with macrosetae, or all legs without macrosetae. Proportions of gnathosoma and mouthparts typical for the majority of phytoseiid mites. Chelicerae in the Palaearctic species with moderate sizes with 4–8 teeth on fixed digit and 0–2 teeth on movable digit.

Neoseiulus is closely related to Amblyseius Berlese and Chelaseius Muma & Denmark but differs from them by the shorter length of dorsal setae, which are subequal in length (absence of long or whip-like setae) and by having macrosetae only on legs IV or absent from all legs. Almost 100 nominal species of this worldwide genus are known from the Palaearctic region (Kolodochka 2006).