Phytoseiidae of Taiwan (Acari: Mesostigmata)

Jhih-Rong Liao 

 

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 

 

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

 

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 

 

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.

 

 

 

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

 

Jhih-Rong Liao

 

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.