Phytoseiid mites (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) from Fuerteventura (Canary Islands): A taxonomic and biogeographical approach

The oceanic origin of the Canary Islands; that is, islands built from the deep oceanic crust that never were connected with the continent, provides special interest not only for knowing what species thrive there now but also for proposing hypotheses on their biogeographical origin. The phytoseiids (Mesostigmata, Phytoseiidae) from the Canaries have been studied over the past three decades, but the existing publications refer to the three central islands of the archipelago, while the fauna of the eastern and western islands remains unknown. This study presents the results of a survey on indigenous vegetation in Fuerteventura, the easternmost island located near the African coast. Five phytoseiid species were collected and one of them, Neoseiulella extraseta sp. nov., characterized by having an extra setal pair J1 on the dorsum is proposed as new species. The remaining four species are fully re-described, and wherever possible all the motile developmental stages as well as the ontogenetic development of idiosomal and leg setation, pores, and poroids are described. The species richness is analysed from the perspective of the geo-environmental dynamics experienced in Fuerteventura, and some plausible hypotheses are suggested to explain the biogeographic origin of the species found.