Predatory mites of the family Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) in Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (Romania) Author CălugărK, Adina Department of Experimental and Applied Biology, NIRDBS-Institute of Biological Research Iași, Lascăr Catargi Street no. 47, 700107, Iași, Romania. Author StathakisK, Theodoros Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 118 55 Athens, Greece. Author Papadoulis, Georgios Th. Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 118 55 Athens, Greece. & Department of Experimental and Applied Biology, NIRDBS-Institute of Biological Research Iași, Lascăr Catargi Street no. 47, 700107, Iași, Romania. text Acarologia 2023 2023-01-13 63 1 58 66 https://www1.montpellier.inrae.fr/CBGP/acarologia/article.php?id=4567 journal article 10.24349/w9fc-x845 2107-7207 7945929 Amblyseius meridionalis Berlese, 1914 Material examined — Letea-Hăşmacul Mare, forest ( 11 May 2016 ) 2 ♀♀ leg. Ivan, ICBI , Pardina, Populus alba plantation ( 30 June 2021 ) 4 ♀♀ leg. Ivan, ICBI . Length of setae — j1 23 (20–25), j3 47 (45–48), j4-j6 , J2 , J5 , z2-z5 , Z1 , S2 , S4 , S5 , R 1 (minute), Z4 97 (93–100), Z5 147 (145–150), s4 58 (55–63), r3 12. World distribution — Algeria , Canada - British Columbia , Ontario , France , Germany , Greece , Hungary , Iceland , Italy , Latvia , Moldova , Azerbaijan, Morocco , Poland , Russia - Tyumen , Spain , Switzerland , Tunisia , Turkey , Ukraine , USA - Michigan ( Demite et al. 2022 ) and Romania (this study). Hosts / Substrates — On moss, litter under Juniperus spp. ( Cupressaceae ), Thymus spp. ( Lamiaceae ), Achillea spp. ( Asteraceae ), Androsace spp. ( Primulaceae ), Poaceae , Senecio spp. ( Asteraceae ), unidentified plant ( Papadoulis et al. 2009 ), humus, soil, Hyparrhenia hirta (L.) Stapf. ( Poaceae ) ( Demite et al. 2022 ). Previously, in Romania A. meridionalis was reported from moss samples (bark moss, rock moss and soil moss) taken from mature (over 80 years) natural forests located between 378 and 1445 m a.s.l. ( Manu et al. 2018a ). Remarks — Although A. meridionalis is mentioned as resistant to dry habitats such as agro-ecosystems, dunes or inland meadows ( Manu et al. 2018b ), in our study it was found only in forest ecosystems. Morphological characters of the examined specimens fit well with those of the redescription of Döker et al. (2020) . At Romanian specimens of A. meridionalis fixed digit have four teeth (three of them are minute, and one bigger next pilus to dentilis ), movable digit edentate. The length of setae is smaller than that of Turkish individuals and closer to that of Amblyseius meridionalis sensu Livshitz & Kuznetsov (1972) ( Döker et al. 2020 ).