Redescription of Phyllodromus leiodis De Leon (Parasitiformes: Phytoseiidae) based on paratypes and description of a new species from Argentina

Phyllodromus leiodis De Leon, a species originally described from Florida, USA, is redescribed based on female and male paratypes. In addition, a new species, Phyllodromus mocovi sp. nov. Döker & Rossetti, is described from Argentina. The new species is distinguished from P. leiodis by a completely smooth dorsal shield, a markedly smaller ventrianal shield, distinct spermatheca morphology, and differences in the length of JV5 and of some dorsal setae. Furthermore, the peritreme of P. mocovi sp. nov. Döker & Rossetti shows a different pattern of microvilli, extending with only two rows toward the apex, whereas in P. leiodis the peritreme is consistently covered with four to six rows of microvilli. Moreover, the genu and tibia of the first legs of both species bear 11 setae (with an extra anteroventral seta) as opposed to 10 setae in many groups in the family Phytoseiidae. Our findings provide important morphological characters for the taxonomy of the genus Phyllodromus and emphasize the value of detailed descriptions of leg chaetotaxy and peritreme morphology in Phytoseiidae taxonomy.