TY  - JOUR
JF  - Acarologia
T1  - Predatory Mites of Stored Agricultural Commodities in Northern Kerala, India: New Genera, Species Records, and Biocontrol Prospects
VL  - 66
IS  - Suppl
SP  - 262
EP  - 262
PY  - 2026
SN  - 0044-586X
SN  - 2107-7207
PB  - Les Amis d'Acarologia
AU  - Neeraj, Martin
AU  - Sachin P., James
AU  - Neeraj, Martin
AU  - Sachin P., James
UR  - https://doi.org/10.24349/bc57-uh20
DO  - 10.24349/bc57-uh20
DA  - 2026-07-20
ET  - 2026-07-20
KW  - Predatory mites
KW  - Stored products
KW  - Taxonomy
KW  - Biodiversity
KW  - New records
AB  - India is a major agricultural nation and a leading global producer and exporter of grains, pulses, and spices. Kerala, a southern Indian state, has been renowned for its spice production and trade for over six centuries and historically served as a key maritime trading hub connecting India with Arab, Chinese, and Roman civilizations. The objective of the study was to document the diversity of predatory mites associated with stored agricultural commodities in northern Kerala and to assess their potential relevance in biological control of storage pest mites. Materials and methods involved a four-year extensive survey conducted from 2019 to 2023 across six districts of northern Kerala, during which 61 major storage warehouses representing diverse stored commodities were systematically examined. Samples collected from storage warehouses were subjected to Berlese funnel extraction, and the recovered mites were preserved and mounted on permanent microscopic slides using Hoyer’s medium. Species examination and identification were carried out using an Olympus CX31 compound microscope based on diagnostic morphological characters and standard taxonomic literature. Illustrations of diagnostic features were prepared using a drawing tube attached to the microscope and were subsequently scanned and digitally redrawn using Adobe Illustrator. The results documented a total of 28 species of predatory mites from storage environments in northern Kerala. Four genera, namely Acaropsella, Balaustium, Paraneognathus, and Storchia, were reported for the first time from India. In addition, ten species were newly reported from the country, and two species were newly described. The recorded acarine fauna represents a significant and previously underexplored component of predatory mite diversity associated with stored agricultural systems of the region. Among the recorded taxa, Cheyletus malaccensis was found to be the most dominant and abundant predatory mite across the surveyed storage warehouses. Preliminary biological evaluations under simulated tropical conditions indicated its strong potential for application in the biological control of storage pest mites. The conclusions highlight northern Kerala as an important reservoir of predatory mite diversity in stored agricultural ecosystems. The dominance of C. malaccensis, together with the presence of several new taxonomic records, underscores the scope for utilizing native predatory mites as eco-friendly alternatives to chemical control and supports their integration into sustainable storage pest management strategies.
ER -