The family Phytoseiidae contains many predatory mite species and some are used in biological control programs worldwide. The identification of phytoseiid mites is based on tiny morphological structures and sometimes species diagnosis is not easy especially for nontaxonomists. DNA-based approaches may offer a fast and accurate diagnosis to overcome these difficulties, nevertheless more DNA sequences are needed to determine intra-and inter-specific variations and to provide accurate decision rules based on genetic distances between the taxa considered. In this study, we provide the molecular characterization of seven phytoseiid species based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Several populations of these species collected in Turkey were considered. A phylogenetic tree was also constructed. Finally, we record the presence of Neoseiulus reductus (Wainstein) in Turkey.

The occurrence of Paraneognathus wangae (Fan & Li) (Acari: Caligonellidae) was reported for the first time in Turkey. These predatory species were found associated with stored wheat and collected from southeastern parts of Anatolia. Measurements of female and male are provided along with their taxonomic characteristics and illustrations. This is also the first report on the occurrence of the genus Paraneognathus (Fan, 2000) in Turkey. Raphignathus gracilis Rack (Acari: Raphignathidae) was also collected during this study as predatory species and rendered here.

No abstract