Taxonomic databases and their use for the biodiversity assessment of Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata)

Phytoseiidae is the most diverse family within the order Mesostigmata, comprising 2,068 valid species recorded from all over the World since 1839. The World Catalogue edited by Moraes et al. in 2004 is the most recent and complete data compilation on this family. These data are of critical importance for taxonomists but also for incorporating mites into biodiversity research and conservation decisions. Here, we discuss the use of such a database, explaining methodologies and some significant results on Phytoseiidae diversity. Different aspects were developed: estimating global species diversity, orienting future collections, assessing description rates in relation to geographical factors and body size, studying evolutive historical relationships and assessing biodiversity in hotspot areas. Phytoseiidae have been described from 118 countries of the 192 recognised nowadays. The cumulative number of species descriptions has not yet reached an asymptote; so, no accurate estimation could be made of the number of species to be discovered in the future. The correlation between time and the mean body size of the mites described was significantly positive, emphasing the importance of mite size in their discovery pattern. Studies on Phytoseiidae distribution and endemism in biogeographic regions show large numbers of species and genera were observed in the old Gondwana continent and especially in the Neotropical area. High endemism rates at the species and genus levels were also observed in the Gondwana, especially in the Neotropical, Australasian and Ethiopian regions. Several biogeographical scenarios on the evolution of this group have been proposed from these data. Finally, studies on Phytoseiidae mite diversity in hotspot areas show that these zones are a great reservoir of Phytoseiidae diversity, just as they are for vertebrates and plants. Correlations between plant, vertebrate, mite diversity and endemism, as well as congruence rates between endemism levels of the three groups of organisms suggest that the biodiversity patterns of plants and vertebrates mirror those of the Phytoseiidae (both for endemicity and species richness). Perspectives for other macro‐ecological studies are presented