Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata: Gamasina) associated with guarana cultivation (Paullinia cupana Kunth, Sapindaceae) in the Central Amazon Region

This study provides the first comprehensive survey of Phytoseiidae mites associated with guarana (Paullinia cupana Kunth, Sapindaceae) cultivation in the Central Amazon region, Brazil. Phytoseiidae is a key family of predatory mites for the biological control of pest mites and small insects in agroecosystems. Sampling was conducted between 2019 and 2021 in 20 areas across six municipalities, predominantly managed under agroecological or low-input systems and surrounded by continuous native forest. A total of 23 phytoseiid species belonging to 11 genera were recorded. The most abundant species was Typhlodromips angustus Guanilo and Moraes, representing 42.2% of all collected specimens, followed by Proprioseiopsis neotropicus (Ehara), Iphiseiodes zuluagai Denmark and Muma and Amblydromalus itacoatiarensis Demite, Cavalcante and Lofego. The species found in the greatest number of sites were: P. neotropicus, T. angustus, A. itacoatiarensis, and Amblyseius aerialis (Muma). The community was characterized by both these widely distributed generalist predators and species with restricted occurrence, including four probably new species, highlighting the unique and understudied nature of the local acarofauna. These findings demonstrate that guarana cultivation systems, when embedded in conserved Amazonian landscapes, act as reservoirs of predatory mites, reinforcing their role in biodiversity conservation and in supporting biological control as an essential ecosystem service within Amazonian agroecosystems.