Mites associated with stored grain commodities in Benin, West Africa.

After insects, mites are the major arthropod pests that inhabit stored agricultural products worldwide. To determine the acarofauna that infests cowpea, maize, paddy rice and sorghum in Benin (West Africa), surveys were conducted in some principal markets (Dantokpa, Glazoue and Parakou) of this country. A total of 555 samples of grains and debris were collected in May and September 2011.

Morphological, molecular and cross-breeding analysis of geographic populations of coconut-mite associated predatory mites identified as Neoseiulus baraki: evidence for cryptic species?

Surveys were conducted in Brazil, Benin and Tanzania to collect predatory mites as candidates for control of the coconut mite Aceria guerreronis Keifer, a serious pest of coconut fruits. At all locations surveyed, one of the most dominant predators on infested coconut fruits was identified as Neoseiulus baraki Athias-Henriot, based on morphological similarity with regard to taxonomically relevant characters. However, scrutiny of our own and published descriptions suggests that consistent morphological differences may exist between the Benin population and those from the other geographic origins.

Morphological variation and reproductive incompatibility of three coconut-mite-associated populations of predatory mites identified as Neoseiulus paspalivorus (Acari: Phytoseiidae).

Predatory mites identified as Neoseiulus paspalivorus DeLeon (Phytoseiidae) have been considered as agents for classical biological control of the coconut mite, Aceria guerreronis Keifer (Eriophyidae), in Africa and elsewhere. Preliminary identification of geographically distinct populations as belonging to the same species (N. paspalivorus) was based on their morphological similarity.

Clarifying the identity of Amblyseius swirskii and Amblyseius rykei (Acari: Phytoseiidae): are they two distinct species or two populations of one species?

The generalist predator Amblyseius swirskii is an efficient natural enemy of small insects and phytophagous mites, particularly thrips and spider mites. This phytoseiid species was considered for a long time as a subtropical species and Amblyseius rykei as a sub-Saharan African species. A recent revision of phytoseiid species of the subtribe Amblyseiina from sub-Saharan Africa Zannou et al.

Cannibalism and interspecific predation in a phytoseiid predator guild from cassava fields in Africa: evidence from the laboratory.

Interspecific predation and cannibalism are common types of interaction in phytoseiid predator guilds, but the extent and nature of these interactions have not been determined yet in phytoseiid guilds composed of African native and neotropical exotic phytoseiid predators found in cassava habitat in southern Africa. We determined in laboratory experiments the level of cannibalism and interspecific predation among the three phytoseiid mite species Euseius fustis, Iphiseius degenerans, and Typhlodromalus aripo in the absence of food and in the presence of limited or abundant quantities of two food types--Mononychellus tanajoa and maize pollen--commonly found on cassava in Africa. When confined without food, only two T.