Phytoseiid mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) from Central West Morocco: new records and key to females of all recorded Moroccan species Author ZahidiK, Abdelaziz Laboratory of Biotechnology and Valorisation of Natural Resources, Faculty of Sciences, 80000 Agadir, Ibn Zohr University (UIZ), Agadir, Morocco. Author Akchour, Abdellah Laboratory of Biotechnology and Valorisation of Natural Resources, Faculty of Sciences, 80000 Agadir, Ibn Zohr University (UIZ), Agadir, Morocco Author K, Serge Kreiter CBGP, Institut Agro, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France. Author TixierK, Marie-Stéphane CBGP, Institut Agro, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France. Author MsandaK, Fouad Laboratory of Biotechnology and Valorisation of Natural Resources, Faculty of Sciences, 80000 Agadir, Ibn Zohr University (UIZ), Agadir, Morocco. Author MousadikK, Abdelhamid El Laboratory of Biotechnology and Valorisation of Natural Resources, Faculty of Sciences, 80000 Agadir, Ibn Zohr University (UIZ), Agadir, Morocco. text Acarologia 2023 2023-06-08 63 3 691 724 http://dx.doi.org/10.24349/v5of-5oe1 journal article 10.24349/v5of-5oe1 2107-7207 Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) Typhlodromus californicus McGregor, 1954: 89 . Amblyseius californicus , Schuster & Pritchard 1963: 271 . Cydnodromus californicus , Athias-Henriot 1977: 64 . Amblyseius ( Amblyseius ) californicus , Ueckermann & Loots 1988: 150 ; Ehara et al. 1994: 126 . Amblyseius ( Neoseiulus ) californicus , Ehara & Amano 1998: 33 . Neoseiulus californicus , Moraes et al. 1986: 73 , 2004a: 109 ; Chant & McMurtry 2003 a: 21, 2007: 25; Guanilo et al. 2008a: 27 , 2008b: 19 ; sensu Athias-Henriot 1977 , Beaulieu & Beard 2018: 469 . Typhlodromus mungeri McGregor, 1954: 92 (Synonymy according to Chant & McMurtry, 2003 a). Typhlodromus chilenensis Dosse, 1958: 55 (Synonymy according to Chant & McMurtry, 2003 a). Amblyseius wearnei Schicha 1987: 103 (Synonymy according to Tixier et al. 2014 ). World distribution — Algeria , Argentina , Azores, Brazil , Canada , Canary Islands, Chile , Colombia , Cuba , Cyprus , France , Greece , Guadeloupe, Guatemala , Italy , Japan , Mexico , Morocco , Peru , Portugal , Reunion Island , Senegal , Serbia , Slovenia , South Africa , South Korea, Spain , Syria , Taïwan , Tunisia , Turkey , Uruguay , USA , Venezuela , and Vietnam . Previous records from Morocco — This species has been reported from the Moroccan fauna by Kreiter et al. (2007) . Several specimens were collected on many plants belonging to the families Malvaceae ( Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.), Rhamnaceae ( Ziziphus lotus L. (Lam)), Anacardiaceae ( Pistacia lentiscus L.) and Asteraceae ( Calendula arvensis (M.) Bieb) and Convolvulaceae ( Convolvulus althaeoides L.) ( Tixier et al. 2016 ). Specimens examined — 8 ♀♀ + 3 ♂♂ on Convolvulus althaeoides L. ( Convolvulaceae ) in May 2017 and in July 2017 ; 4 ♀♀ on citrus leaves at Stah Al Madina orchard in 2018. Remarks — Measurements and description of the adult females collected agree with those provided by Tixier et al. (2008) for specimens collected worldwide, by Ferragut et al. (2010) for specimens from Spain and by Kreiter et al. (2020b) for specimens from La Réunion and various regions in the world. This is a very widespread species ( Demite et al. 2023 ), reported as generalist predatory mite ( Castagnoli and Simoni 2003 ). It can feed on Tetranychidae ( Ferragut et al. 2010 ; Gomez-Moya and Ferragut 2009 ), tarsonemid mites ( Easterbrook et al. 2001 ), or small insects ( Rodriguez-Reina et al. 1992 ; Fraulo et al. 2008 ) and even pollen when the primary prey is unavailable ( Rhodes and Liburd 2005 ). Akchour et al. (2016 , 2021 ) reported that N. californicus is considered as a potential agent to control Eutetranychus orientalis (Klein) in citrus orchards in Souss region in central western of Morocco .