Species Composition and Seasonal Abundance of Predatory Mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) Inhabiting Aesculus hippocastanum (Sapindaceae)

Species of the family Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) inhabit a wide range herbs, shrubs, and trees. Horse chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum, is an important ornamental tree in Europe and, addition to its importance for pollinators, it can serve as host plant these predatory mites. Little is, however, known about factors affecting spatiotemporal variability density phytoseiids on A. hippocastanum urban environment. We therefore assessed species composition spatial seasonal abundance city České Budějovice, South Bohemia, Czech Republic. Compound-leaf samples were randomly collected from horse chestnut branches at eight sites, five times during vegetation season 2013. The mites by washing technique mounted slides identification. In total, 13,903 specimens phytoseiid found, identified: Amblyseius andersoni, Euseius finlandicus, Kampimodromus aberrans, Neoseiulella tiliarum, Phytoseius macropilis, Paraseiulus talbii, triporus, Typhlodromus (Typhlodromus) pyri. predominant was E. finlandicus (96.25%). mean number per compound leaf 2.53, 10.40, 23.54, 11.59, 9.27 sampling dates each month between May September, respectively. results further revealed that mite varied significantly among sites negatively related percentage greenery area, intensity care, distance water body, age trees, while positively air pollution index. micromorphology attractiveness discussed.