ABSTRACT. Mitcs (Arachnida, Acari) on rubbcr tree (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg.) in the State or Mato Grosso, Brazil. Mites stal1ed 10 be considered economically impOllant on rubber tree sin ce the earl y 1990's, when lhey were con idered responsible fo r damages caused lO this crop and by lhe consequenl yield reducti on. The aim of this work was lo determine lhe miles pre ent on this crop in the State of Mat o Grosso and 10 elaborale a key for lhe separati on ofthe speci es found . Thi s study was conducted in fte lds of Pl antaçõe Edouard Michelin Lida. , in Iriquira, and Tri ângulo Agro-Indu slrial S/A. in Pontes e Lacerd a. Sa mplin gs were conducled mOlllh ly in six differenl clones: PB 260, PR 255, IAN 7 13, IAN 873. Nearly 77,2% of lhe mires collecled belonged to lhe families Eri ophyidae, Tarsonemidae, Tenuipa lpidae and Telranychidae, co mposed predominantl y by phylophagous species. Phyloseiidae was lhe mosr diverse fa mil y. with 15 species. fo llowed by lhe families Tetranychidae and Eriop hydae, wilh ft ve species , and Tydeidae, with four species. KEY WORDS. Acari , mites , di versil y of mite, Hevea brasilieJ/sis, rubber tree, Mato Grosso A seringu e ira , Hevea brasiliensis Mue ll. Arg. (Euphorb iace a e), é comume nte atacada por diversas espécies d e insetos e ácaros n as á re as o nd e é c ulti vad a , se nd o que algumas são co n s iderad as pragas d e s uma importâ nc ia (SILVA 1972; EMBR ATER 1983). Os ácaros passaram a ser co ns ide rad os eco n o mi ca m e nte impo rta ntes a p a rtir da década de 1990, q u a ndo fo ra m resp o nsabili zad os p o r da no s c a usad os a es ta cultura.Os ácaros fitófagos, co mum e nte e n co ntra dos, p e rten ce m à s fa míli as Eri ophyidae, Tarson em idae, Tenuipa lpidae e T e tran ychid ae, e nqu a nto que, e ntre os predadores, os áca ros m a is comuns p e rte ncem às famíli as Cunaxidae, Phytoseiidae e Stigmaeidae

A survey of predaceous mites in apple (Prunus malus L.) orchards in central part of Rio Grande do Sul state (Serio and Capitão counties) was conducted from September 1993 to May 1994. The majority of the predators collected belonged to the Phytoseiidae family. The most common species were Neoseiulus tunus (DeLeon), Euseius alatus DeLeon, and Euseius brazilli (El-Benhawy). In Capitão, Euseius spp. were the predominant phytoseiids from the beginning of December 1993 to mid March 1994. In Serio, Euseius spp. were more abundant than N. tunus only at the end of January. The number of phytoseiids increased from the end of December 1993 to mid February 1994. The highest levels of Stigmaeidae and Cunaxidae occurred from the end of February to mid May, after the reduction of phytoseiids.

Members of the Tydeidae are cosmopolitan, soft-bodied, striated or reticulated mites that are reported to be mainly phytophages, mycophages, pollenophages, insect parasites or scavengers. This catalogue includes 328 species belonging to 30 genera, and their distributions and type habitat. Until now, Brachytydeus comprises the largest number of species with 200, followed by Tydeus, with 50 species, and Pretydeus and Pseudolorryia, with 12 species each. An updated list of the Tydeidae (Acari: Prostigmata), a world key to the species and data on the zoogeographical distribution of the species are presented.

No abstract

The mitefauna associated to Merlot and Chardonnay grapevine cultivars and associated plants in the municipalities of Bento Gonçalves and Candiota, Rio Grande do Sul was investigated. The study was developed between October 2006 and September 2007, where 20 grapevine plants were randomly chosen from each municipality and monthly sampled. Three leaves of each plant were taken. A total of 11,598 mites belonging to 14 families and to 52 species were found. Fifty-nine percent of the total specimens were collected in Candiota, being 93% associated to the Merlot cultivar. Higher species richness was observed on associated plants. Phytoseiidae showed the highest species richness, with ten species, and Eriophyidae showed the highest abundance, with 8,675 specimens. Calepitrimerus vitis (Nalepa, 1905) and Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks, 1904) were the most common phytophagous mites, while Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor, 1954) and Pronematus anconai (Baker ,1943) were the most common predators.

Phytophagous mites (Acari) are agricultural pests that cause productivity and economic losses. Mite infestation is stressful for plants, hindering the development and harming photosynthetic structures and storage organs. In order to combat such damage, plants utilize molecular and physiological modifications, as well as the production of mite-inhibitory compounds. In this review, we focus on the main phytophagous mites that infest the most commercially important cereals -rice (Oryza sativa L.), corn (Zea mays L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) -summarizing the responses of the plants -physiological and molecular alterations -to mite infestation.

ABSTRACT. Biological cycle of Calacarus heveae Feres, 1992 (Acari, Eriophyidae). Calacarus heveae Feres, 1992 is an Eriophyidae mite described from rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg.) in the northwest region of the State of São Paulo. This mite prefers the adaxial face of the folioles and it can reduce the brightness of the leaves, turning them progressively yellow and brownish, and consequently premature fall. The aim of this work was to study the biology of C. heveae in laboratory, on detached rubber tree folioles. The study was conducted at 28±1 ºC in the photophase (12h), 25±1 ºC in the dark phase (12h), and 90±5% relative humidity. The study was initiated with a total of 59 eggs. The average duration of egg, larva and nymph stages was 5.8, 2.0 and 1.4 days, respectively. The period from egg to adult lasted 9.3 days, and the average periods of pre-oviposition, oviposition and post-oviposition, 1.8, 6.1 and 1.2 days, respectively. The average longevity of the adult male was ca. 4.0 days, while the longevity adult female was about 8.4 days. The average daily oviposition rate was 2.3 egg per female while the average fecundity was 16.2 eggs per female.

ABSTRACT. Predators mites (Aca ri) in native and cultivated plants of the State ofRio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This research was carried oul in twenty counties oflhe foll owing regions in the state of Rio Grande do Sul: Pl ain , Central Depression, Plateau and Coast Plain to find out lhe diversily of mite predators in lhese places. Forty-s ix vegetable species were sampled, lhirty species of mites of lhe families Anystidae, Ascidae, Chey letidae, Cunaxidae, Phytoseiidae and Stigmaeidae were mel. The Phytoseiidae were lhe mi le lhal presented the greatest diversilY, being present in the majorily of lhe sample plants. Most of lhe Phytoseiidae that were met belong to five species of the Euseius Wainstein, 1962 genus, the second genus of thi s family was Iphiseiodes DeLeon, 1966, with just one species. The Stigmaeidae co me up as second famil y in number but fewer than Phytoseiidae. [n this family, the most co mmon mite belong to the Agislel1llls Sumers, 1960 genus. The biggest of the mites species ( 13 species