Philippine mites associated with rice and rice litter with notes on their abundance and diversity

Issue Date

10-1999

Abstract

A list of 109 Philippine species of mites associated with rice, rice litter and stored milled rice is presented based on taxonomic literature records and new collections from a rainfed farm in Isabela Province. These species belong to 4 suborders, 47 families and 81 genera, and include 61 predators, 38 detritivores, 6 phytophages and 4 of unknown feeding habits. Three predatory species of Ascidae, Cheiroseius curtipes (Halbert), C. nepalensis (Evans & Hyatt) and C. serratus (Halbert) are new records for the Philippines. Preliminary ecological data based on samples of C4-137 and Milagros varieties under dry and wet or submerged conditions, show that majority (87.5%) of the species were rare (relative abundance of less than 2%), 4 were subdominant (RA of 2-5%) and 3 were dominant (RA of more than 5%). The most abundant species was Pygmephorus sp. (Pygmephoridae) which made up 46.65% of all mites extracted from the samples. Also abundant were the detritivores, Suidasia pontifica Oudemans (Suidasiidae), Scheloribates praeincisus (Berlese) (Scheloribatidae) and Lamellobates hauseri Mahunka (Achipteriidae), and the predatory mites, Cheiroseius serratus (Ascidae) and Ereynetes sp. (Ereynetidae). Litter arthropods include insects and collembolans in addition to mites. Of these groups, mites were most bundant and diverse, and collembolans least. Some differential trends in abundance and diversity relationships were shown between the two moisture conditions and rice varieties.

Source or Periodical Title

Philippine Entomologist

ISSN

0048-3753

Volume

13

Issue

2

Page

113-127

Document Type

Article

Frequency

semi-annually

Physical Description

illustrations; tables

Language

English

En – AGROVOC descriptors

ARTHROPODS; MITES; TAXONOMY; SPECIES DIVERSITY; DETERMINATION OF SPECIES; PHILIPPINES

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