Biodiversity of spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) in Serbia: a review, new records and key to all known species

Abstract

Despite the economic importance of spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae), data on their biodiversity are scarce in some regions of Europe, such as Balkan Peninsula and particularly in Serbia. In this country, according to the Spider Mites Web database, only 17 spider mite species belonging to seven genera have been reported. This study provides a review of the Serbian literature dealing with spider mites species recorded in Serbia and presents results of a four-year faunistic survey in which spider mites were collected on cultivated plants and native vegetation throughout the country. In the survey, a total of 23 species were recorded, including six species new to Serbian acarofauna: Bryobia praetiosa, Eotetranychus aceri, E. fraxini, E. pruni, Panonychus citri and Tetranychus evansi. Together with previously reported data, it raises the number of known spider mite species in Serbia to 36. A total of 90 host plant species from 21 families that are favorable to spider mites were recorded in this study; there were 62 new host records for 20 spider mite species with 11 records of new plant species as hosts of spider mites. There were 63 new records for Serbia among host plant species, raising the number of Serbian hosts for tetranychid mites to 137. The spider mite species new to Serbian acarofauna were found on 17 newly recorded host plants from 11 families. A key to all known spider mites species from Serbia is provided.