First report of plant inhabiting predatory mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) in Maldives Author K, Ismail Döker Institute of Environmental and Agricultural Biology (X-BIO), Tyumen State University, Tyumen, Russia. & Cukurova University, Agricultural Faculty, Department of Plant Protection, Acarology Laboratory, Author KhaustovK, Vladimir A. Institute of Environmental and Agricultural Biology (X-BIO), Tyumen State University, Tyumen, Russia. Author JoharchiK, Omid Institute of Environmental and Agricultural Biology (X-BIO), Tyumen State University, Tyumen, Russia. text Acarologia 2022 2022-09-05 62 4 865 878 journal article 2107-7207 Neoseiulus houstoni (Schicha) Amblyseius houstoni Schicha, 1987: 111 . ( Figure 3 ) Material examined — Two females collected from Maafushi Island, Maldives , 3°56′40.5″ N 73°29′35.2″ E, Terminalia catappa L. ( Combretaceae ) in 25 December 2021 . Measurements — Female (n = 2) – Length of dorsal shield 278–288, width at level of s4 140–155, width at level of S2 150–157 ( Figure 3a ). Six pairs of dorsal solenostomes ( gd1 , gd2 , gd5 , gd6 , gd8 and gd9 ). Setae measurements as follows: j1 18–22, j3 33–36, j4 18–19, j5 18–20, j6 22–23, J2 25–28, J5 7, z2 32–33, z4 34–37, z5 21, Z1 28–29, Z4 45–47, Z5 47–50, s4 44 –45, S2 42 –44, S4 23 –25, S5 20 –23, r3 32, R1 29–33 and JV5 37–42. Distance between st1-st3 55–56, st2-st2 62–63, st5-st5 62–63; length of ventrianal shield 89–91, width at level of setae ZV2 70–73, width at level of anus 61–63, distance between preanal pores ( gv3-gv3 ) 17 ( Figure 3b ). Fixed cheliceral digit with three teeth (two apical and one basal) and pilus dentilis, movable digit with one tooth ( Figure 3c ). Calyx of spermatheca 11–13 long ( Figure 3d ). Chaetotaxy of legs as follows: Leg I; coxa 0 0/1 0/1 0, trochanter 1 0/1 0/2 1, femur 2 3/1 2/2 2, genu 2 2/1 2/1 2, tibia 2 2/1 2/1 2. Leg II; coxa 0 0/1 0/1 0, trochanter 1 0/1 0/2 1, femur 2 3/1 2/1 1, genu 2 2/0 2/0 1, tibia 1 2/1 1/1 1. Leg III; coxa 0 0/1 0/1 0, trochanter 1 1/1 0/2 0, femur 1 2/1 1/0 1, genu 1 2/1 2/0 1, tibia 1 1/1 2/1 1. Leg IV; coxa 0 0/1 0/0 0, trochanter 1 1/1 0/2 0, femur 1 2/1 1/0 1, genu 1 2/1 2/0 1, tibia 1 1/1 2/0 1. Length of macrosetae as follows: SgeIV 23, StiIV 18–21, StIV 29–30 ( Figure 3e ). World Distribution — Australia ( Schicha 1987 ), Brazil (reported as N . barreti Kreiter by Furtado et al. 2005 ), Mauritius ( Kreiter and Abo-Shnaf 2020 ), Reunion Island (Kreiter et al. 2020, reported as N . recifensis Gondim Jr. & Moraes, 2001 by Moraes et al. 2012 ) and Maldives (this study). Remarks — Neoseiulus houstoni was described by Schicha (1987) based on the material collected on Vigna unguiculata ( Fabaceae ): in Murray Island, Queensland , Australia . Kreiter et al. (2020) recently reported this species from Reunion Island . Based on the examination of the type materials, the authors suggested N . barreti Kreiter in Furtado et al. (2005) and N . recifensis Gondim Jr. & Moraes, 2001 as junior synonyms of N . houstoni . Morphological characters and measurements of the Maldivian specimens are almost identical to the original descriptions and subsequent redescriptions of all three species mentioned above ( Schicha 1987 ; Gondim Jr. and Moraes 2001; Furtado et al. 2005 ; Kreiter et al. 2020).