Phytoseiidae of Taiwan (Acari: Mesostigmata)

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.

• Jhih-Rong Liao, Author

  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, He already published various numbers of papers (18 full-text) in international SCI-E journals during his Ph.D. In these papers, he described 5 new phytoseiid species and re-described 5 new records from Taiwan. Besides, he also described 11 new oribatid species and re-described 66 new records from Taiwan. 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.

• Chyi-Chen Ho, Author

  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.

• Hsiao-Chin Lee, Author

  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 field collection, drawings, and corrections.

• Chiun-Cheng Ko, Author

  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.