• Description
• Contents
• Details
• Review
• The author

The Phytoseiidae are among the best-known mite families, with more than 2,700 recorded species worldwide. Some of those phytoseiids are used as biocontrol agents to fight agricultural pests. But in order to study their potential, it has become urgent to first establish a reliable taxonomy of Phytoseiidae. This book presents a general review of the classification and external morphology of the family Phytoseiidae in Taiwan and neighboring islands. Between 2009 and 2019, more than 20,000 specimens were gathered over the course of 2,500 collections. This book focuses on 64 species belonging to three subfamilies and fourteen genera, among which are five novel species and eight newly-recorded species; it provides their descriptions and illustrations, as well as information on their habitat plants and food habits.

 

 

The Authors

Preface

Acknowledgements

Abstract

序

摘要

Introduction

Historical Overview

Neighboring Countries

Taiwan

Review of Setal Chaetotaxy Research in Phytoseiidae

Biology

Review of Biological Control in Taiwan

Materials and Methods

Collecting Specimens and Preparing Mounted Slides

Locality

Depository

Description

Terminology

Taxonomy

Discussion

Biodiversity of Phytoseiid Mites from Taiwan

The Mystery of Tseng’s Specimens

Additional Characteristics in Phytoseiidae Taxonomy

Potential Predator Species

Mite Slide Preparation

Conclusion

References

Appendixes

Appendix I. Comparison of Different Setal Nomenclature Systems

Appendix II. Collection Data from Yi-Hsiung Tseng

Appendix III. Habitat Plant List of Phytoseiidae from Taiwan

Index to Taxa

Preface

 

　　My passion for mites can be traced back to 2006, the first time I saw mites: at the time, I could not recognize those eight-legged creatures and just called them spiders. Later, I took a course in Acarology when I was a junior. I got good grades in that class and, more importantly, learned to appreciate the beauty of mites. My academic performance until then was rather poor, and Entomology not quite my cup of tea. But discovering the secrets of mites took my life in a new direction: my mission became to tell people about those mysterious, fascinating creatures. 

 

　　When I was a graduate student, my advisor Dr. Chiun-Cheng Ko encouraged me to study mites associated with agriculture, in order to develop a type of plant protection based around them. I found that Phytoseiidae of Taiwan had already been studied in the past, with Yi-Hsiung Tseng having recorded 48 species. All of Tseng’s specimens, however, went missing after his retirement. Therefore, I chose to dedicate my life to studying phytoseiid mites, in the hope of finding among them the native natural enemies of the Tetranychidae, the spider mite pests causing substantial damage to Taiwanese agriculture.

 

　　I finished my master’s thesis two years later, and began my military service. It was during that year spent in the navy, trying to figure out my lifetime career goal while on the Pacific Ocean, that I realized mites were my life mission. I therefore went back to NTU to work towards my Ph.D. degree. However, life is not all roses: it took me three attempts to pass the doctoral entrance examination, and I had to drop out of school at one point, after failing the qualifying test. Nevertheless, I was able to finish my degree, thanks to the support of all my family and friends.

 

　　I have now published several research articles regarding new or newly-recorded phytoseiid mites in Taiwan. Reporting the Phytoseiidae fauna of Taiwan felt like a responsibility to me. This book contains the currently-recorded phytoseiid mites of Taiwan and neighboring islands, totaling 64 species. I made a small wish to myself that one day I would compile everything we learned and publish a comprehensive list of Taiwanese phytoseiids, so that researchers worldwide can have access to this information about Taiwan. I hope this book will not only contribute to the knowledge of phytoseiid mite biodiversity, but also provide a framework for future biological control use of these predatory mites.

Jhih-Rong Liao (廖治榮)

 

　　Dr. Jhih-Rong Liao is a post-doctoral fellow at National Taiwan University, Taiwan, who has a deep interest in mite taxonomy (Phytoseiidae) and the identification of mites using artificial intelligence. Liao fell in love with Acarology when he was first introduced to the study of these beautiful creatures, back in 2008. Upon learning about the high demand for mite experts in Taiwan, he started to dedicate himself to the taxonomy of Phytoseiidae, which he has done for the past decade, along with its practical application of identifying small agricultural pests. His life-long goal is to educate the public on mites, contribute to fundamental research (e.g. mite identification) for plant protection, and just keep studying those fascinating animals for the rest of his life.

 

　　中興大學昆蟲學系大學部畢業，國立臺灣大學昆蟲學系碩士及博士畢業。廖治榮博士鑽研蟎類分類學研究，是少數以蟎為題材的研究者。在就讀博士期間，積極參與學術研究，截至目前為止已共發表12篇SCI期刊報告，其中有4篇為第一作者，並發表12新種與71種新紀錄種類之蟎類，為該領域之基礎研究提供重大貢獻。

 

Chyi-Chen Ho (何琦琛)

 

　　Dr. Chyi-Chen Ho is a retired researcher of the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute, and an adjunct associate professor at National Chung Hsing University and National Chiayi University. He has studied mites for 40 years, and began to focus on mite taxonomy recently, including Tetranychidae, Phytoseiidae, Tarsonemidae, Acaridae, Digamasellidae, etc. He introduced Liao to the beautiful world of mites in 2008, and has taught him everything about those critters.

 

　　農業試驗所退休研究人員，國立中興大學昆蟲學系、國立嘉義大學植物醫學系兼任副教授。何琦琛博士以於蟎類世界鑽研近40年，前期以害蟎與生物防治為研究主題，近期則以蟎類分類學為主，研究分類群包括植綏蟎科、葉蟎科、粉蟎科等。

 

Hsiao-Chin Lee (李曉芹)

 

　　Hsiao-Chin Lee received her master’s degree from the Department of Entomology of National Taiwan University. She studied the intraspecific variation of Neoseiulus barkeri as a graduate student. The contributions she made to this book include collections, drawings, and corrections.

 

　　國立臺灣大學昆蟲學系碩士，以巴氏小新綏蟎的種內變異為研究題材，探討該物種於形態、分子層面之變異。

 

Chiun-Cheng Ko (柯俊成)

 

　　Dr. Chiun-Cheng Ko is a professor in the Department of Entomology of National Taiwan University. For the past 30 years, his focus has been small insect taxonomy, especially whiteflies (Aleyrodidae). He also has a keen interest in the use of molecular identification to tackle the issue of the Bemisia tabaci species complex.

 

　　國立臺灣大學昆蟲學系教授、小型昆蟲分類專家，以粉蝨總科物種為研究題材，是國際少見之粉蝨專家。柯俊成教授主要研究方向為檢疫防疫重要農業害蟲鑑定技術之開發及農業昆蟲多樣性，以分子技術探討煙草粉蝨種群之議題。