Ecologo-faunistic review of tetranychid (Acariformes: Tetranychoidea) and phytoseiid mites (Parasitiformes: Phytoseiidae) in the Transcarpathian Region, Ukraine

Abstract

The results of long-term research on tetranychid and phytoseiid mites in the Transcarpathian region of Ukraine are summarized. Transcarpathian Tetranychoidea are represented by 28 species from 10 genera, and the same list for Phytoseiidae included 49 species from 11 genera. For 77 species of mites from 21 genera, species composition, abundance, trophic specialization, and biotopic distribution in different altitudinal zones of Transcarpathia, Ukraine was analysed. Ten species of tetranychid mites (Bryobia rubrioculus, Tetranyhus horridus, Amphytetranyhus viennensis, Eotetranycuus carpini, E. quercicola, Neotetranychus rubi, Oligonychus ununguis, Panonychus ulmi, T. turkestani and T. urticae), and 11 species of phytoseiid mites (Neoseiulus umbraticus, Kampimodromus aberrans, Amblyseius andersoni, A. rademacheri, Euseius ucrainicus, Dubininellus echinus, D. juvenis, Typhloctonus aceri, T. tuberculatus, Anthoseius (A.) rhenana and A. (A.) clavata) were common to all three studied altitudinal zones. The species diversity of tetranychids was highest in the lowlands (23 species), slightly lower in the foothills (19 species), and the lowest in the mountain zone (11 species). For phytoseiid mites, it was the highest in the foothills (38 species), 25 in the lowlands and 21 in mountains. Among the tetranychids, the transzonal species A. viennensis retained its dominant status in all altitudinal zones. In the lowland, the highest rates of occurrence and dominance indices were observed for the species B. rubrioculus and T. turkestani, and in the foothills—for P. ulmi and T. horridus. The species composition of mites in the lowlands and mountains varied the most for both predators and phytophagous mites. Among the tetranychids, the most striking marker species in the mountains were P. ulmi and N. rubi. Only in the mountains were found such phytoseiid species as N. alidis, N. montanus, T. runiacus, T. mutatus, and A. salviae, which could thus be considered strictly mountainous. All of them have fragmented habitats and are tied to mountainous regions. In that altitudinal zone, an exceptionally high occurrence rate and dominance index were established for N. montanus among the phytoseiids. This is most probably due to significantly greater differences in the temperature and humidity regimes and range of host plants and, for predatory mites, prey species. The results of this study provide additional information about the structure of the communities of phytophagous and predatory mites in the natural zones of the mountain landscape and changes in the composition of the communities under the influence of environmental factors and the forage base, which is a consequence of the altitudinal distribution of the investigated biocenoses.