Redescriptions of Amblyseius cucurbitae Rather and A. paraaerialis Muma (Parasitiformes: Phytoseiidae) with new synonymies

The taxonomy of the family Phytoseiidae remains problematic, largely due to insufficient original descriptions and the lack of comprehensive redescriptions. In many cases, new phytoseiid species have been described without the provision of sufficient differential diagnosis in relation to previously known taxa. This has led to repeated descriptions of the same species under different names, particularly in neighboring countries. Amblyseius cucurbitae, Rather and A. paraaerialis, Muma were originally described from India based on undetailed illustrations, without clear diagnostic characters. As a result, both species have been described multiple times under different names. Based on a comprehensive literature review, we conclude that eight species, A. amorphalae, Sadanandan and Ramani, A. bhadrakshae, Sadanandan and Ramani, A. coffeae, Sadanandan, A. indirae, Gupta, A. kundurukkae, Anithalatha and Ramani, A. mohanasundarami, Anithalatha and A. velayudhani, Santhosh and Sadanandan, are junior synonyms of A. cucurbitae. Furthermore, A. hainanensis, Wu and A. brachycalyx, Karmakar, Bowmik and Sherpa are also considered junior synonyms of A. paraaerialis. Therefore, we provide detailed redescriptions of A. cucurbitae and A. paraaerialis based on their type specimens to clarify their taxonomic status and facilitate future identification.