Phytoseiid predatory mites are used as biological control agents in greenhouses worldwide. Their commercial production heavily relies on factitious prey mites as a cost-effective food source to sustain mass rearing. In this case study, we describe the full translational pathway from the discovery of a previously unknown astigmatid mite species to its evaluation as a potential factitious prey for industrial-scale production of phytoseiid predators. The recently discovered acarid mite Thyreophagus berxi was discovered under the bark of fallen branches from an urban garden. A colony of T. berxi was collected and a laboratory colony was maintained to asses several parameters which are essential in the evaluation of potential prey mites for mass production of predatory mites. T. berxi was assessed for its suitability as prey for several predatory phytoseiid mites used or under evaluation for biological control: type II (McMurtry et al. 2013), Neoseiulus californicus, two type III (Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) recki and Amblyseius swirskii) and a type IV (Euseius degenerans) phytoseiid. Additionally we also tested T. berxi as a food source for the soil predator Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Acari: Laelapidae). Reproductive performance of each predator species was quantified when fed T. berxi and compared with performance on the conventionally used factitious prey mite Carpoglyphus lactis and either Typha angustifolia pollen or Tyrophagus putrescentiae for S. scimitus. Additionally, population growth rates of T. berxi and C. lactis were monitored in laboratory cultures over a three-week period to evaluate production growth speed. To investigate potential phytophagy and crop risk, a leaf-feeding experiment was conducted on young cucumber plants. Results show that T. berxi supported reproduction for the tested predatory mites, indicating comparable nutritional suitability to C. lactis. However, the intrinsic population growth rate of T. berxi was significantly lower than that of C. lactis, which increases labour and space requirements, thereby limiting its use for commercial mass production. Furthermore, the leaf-feeding experiment demonstrated that T. berxi is capable of feeding on cucumber tissue, raising concerns regarding potential crop damage. In conclusion, although T. berxi exhibited promising results as factitious prey, its slower population growth and phytophagous behaviour reduce its practical value for industrial rearing of phytoseiid predatory mites. Under the conditions tested, we see no clear advantage for using T. berxi over C. lactis for the production of phytoseiid predatory mites