Five Species of Predatory Mites of the Genus Amblyseius Berlese (Acari: Phytoseiidae) from Eastern Dry Zone of Karnataka.

The study reports five species of phytoseiid (Acari: Phytoseiidae) predatory mites of the genus Amblyseius Berlese, Amblyseius adhatodae Muma, A. brachycalyx Karmakar, Bhowmik & Sherpa, A. herbicolus (Chant), A. largoensis (Muma) and A. tamatavensis Blommers, from Eastern Dry Zone of Karnataka. We examined the holotype of Amblyseius dahliae and confirmed it as a junior synonym of A. tamatavensis due to great morphological similarities between these two species. Hence, A. tamatavensis is being reported for the first time from Indian subcontinent. A brief description of each of the five species including measurements and other important morphological characters is presented as well as new illustrations of important morphological characters such as ventrianal shield and spermathecae were included to facilitate species delineation. Furthermore, A. adhatodae, A. brachycalyx and A. herbicolus hitherto known from other Indian states are new reports for Karnataka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]