Phytoseiidae of Taiwan (Acari: Mesostigmata)

　　The Phytoseiidae are among the best-known mite families, with more than 2,700 recorded species worldwide. Some of those phytoseiids are used as biocontrol agents to fight agricultural pests. But in order to study their potential, it has become urgent to first establish a reliable taxonomy of Phytoseiidae. This book presents a general review of the classification and external morphology of the family Phytoseiidae in Taiwan and neighboring islands. Between 2009 and 2019, more than 20,000 specimens were gathered over the course of 2,500 collections. This book focuses on 64 species belonging to three subfamilies and fourteen genera, among which are five novel species and eight newly-recorded species; it provides their descriptions and illustrations, as well as information on their habitat plants and food habits.

 

　　臺灣植綏蟎研究最早能追溯到1970年代。歷經多位學者努力，目前植綏蟎物種數已累積了64種。本書描述目前已知臺灣植綏蟎物種，提供完整物種描述、繪圖、與生物學資訊。

 

 

　　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, which he has done for the past decade, along with its practical application of identifying small agricultural pests. 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.

 

　　中興大學昆蟲學系大學部畢業，國立臺灣大學昆蟲學系碩士及博士畢業。廖治榮博士鑽研蟎類分類學研究，是少數以蟎為題材的研究者。在就讀博士期間，積極參與學術研究，截至目前為止已共發表12篇SCI期刊報告，其中有4篇為第一作者，並發表12新種與71種新紀錄種類之蟎類，為該領域之基礎研究提供重大貢獻。

 

 

　　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.

 

　　農業試驗所退休研究人員，國立中興大學昆蟲學系、國立嘉義大學植物醫學系兼任副教授。何琦琛博士以於蟎類世界鑽研近40年，前期以害蟎與生物防治為研究主題，近期則以蟎類分類學為主，研究分類群包括植綏蟎科、葉蟎科、粉蟎科等。

 

 

　　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 collections, drawings, and corrections.

 

　　國立臺灣大學昆蟲學系碩士，以巴氏小新綏蟎的種內變異為研究題材，探討該物種於形態、分子層面之變異。

 

 

　　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.

 

　　國立臺灣大學昆蟲學系教授、小型昆蟲分類專家，以粉蝨總科物種為研究題材，是國際少見之粉蝨專家。柯俊成教授主要研究方向為檢疫防疫重要農業害蟲鑑定技術之開發及農業昆蟲多樣性，以分子技術探討煙草粉蝨種群之議題。