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Prospects for Biological Control of Plant Feeding Mites and Other Harmful Organisms pp 1–31Cite as

Mesostigmata as Biological Control Agents, with Emphasis on Rhodacaroidea and Parasitoidea

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Part of the book series: Progress in Biological Control ((PIBC,volume 19))

Abstract

The Mesostigmata is a large mite order corresponding to about 20 % of all known mite species. These are found in different habitats, but are most abundant and diverse in the soil. Several mesostigmatid groups have been little studied, especially for not being abundant or for being difficult to handle, especially those living in the soil. Knowledge about the diversity of soil mites is still very small in most of the world. Considering just the number of described mesostigmatid species (let aside the number of undescribed species), the number of biological and ecological studies is very limited. Available studies most often are restricted to the evaluation of the ability of particular species to feed on pre-determined food sources. A few have received some attention, among which two superfamilies of the infraorder Gamasina, Rhodacaroidea (in the hyporder Dermanyssiae) and Parasitoidea (in the hyporder Parasitiae). This chapter comprises the biological and ecological information regarding the Mesostigmata.

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Acknowledgement

To G.J. de Moraes and C.H.W. Flechtmann (Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo) for evaluating a previous version of this manuscript and making very important suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Fitossanidade, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV), Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), 14884-900, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil

    Raphael C. Castilho

  2. Departamento de Entomologia e Acarologia, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, 13418-900, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil

    Renan Venancio & João Paulo Z. Narita

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  1. Raphael C. Castilho
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  2. Renan Venancio
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  3. João Paulo Z. Narita
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Correspondence to Raphael C. Castilho .

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  1. Department of Entomology and Nematology Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida - IFAS, Homestead, Florida, USA

    Daniel Carrillo

  2. Departamento de Entomologia e Acarologia, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil

    Gilberto José de Moraes

  3. Department of Entomology and Nematology Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida - IFAS, Homestead, Florida, USA

    Jorge E. Peña

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Castilho, R.C., Venancio, R., Narita, J.P.Z. (2015). Mesostigmata as Biological Control Agents, with Emphasis on Rhodacaroidea and Parasitoidea. In: Carrillo, D., de Moraes, G., Peña, J. (eds) Prospects for Biological Control of Plant Feeding Mites and Other Harmful Organisms. Progress in Biological Control, vol 19. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15042-0_1

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