Phytoseiid mites (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) on top of the world: the fauna in the Páramos of Ecuadorian Andes

The Andean Páramos is one of the most exceptional ecosystems in tropical mountains of South America. Situated between about 3,000–4,800 meters altitude under extreme environmental conditions it harbors high levels of biodiversity and endemism. We investigated the phytoseiid fauna from two enclaves in Ecuador: wet páramos in the northern Carchi province and dry páramos at the base of Chimborazo volcano. We found ten species, describing eight of them as new to science: Amblyseius anchiops sp. nov., Neoseiulus lobatus sp. nov., N. trapezius sp. nov., Transeius castaneus sp. nov., T. confidens sp. nov., T. variabilis sp. nov., Typhlodromips buchelae sp. nov., and Typhloseiopsis humboldti sp. nov. Surprisingly, most of Amblyseiinae species show a remarkable morphological similarity although they belong to different genera. Their generic emplacement can only be achieved by minor differences in the length of some dorsal setae. This morphological resemblance is discussed in relation to the evolutionary processes that may have led to speciation in the páramos and with respect to the taxonomic practice, where the use of the traditional generic division of the family Phytoseiidae proposed by Chant and McMurtry poses uncertainties or even can be difficult to implement.