AUSTRALIAN SPECIES OF LASIOSEIUS (ACARI, MESOSTIGMATA, ASCIDAE) - THEPORULOSUS GROUP AND OTHER SPECIES FROM RAIN-FOREST CANOPIES

Approximately 100 species of Lasioseius have been described worldwide, yet only two species have been reported from Australia (L. boomsmai W omersley and L. queenslandicus Womersley). We recently identified both of these species from rainforest canopy chemical knockdown collection s and reared them from fungal sporocarps growing on dead trees and log s. We also found that species in the Lasioseius porulosus group, previ ously unreported from Australia are often the most numerous predatory mites on the leaves of tropical rainforest trees and of tropical tree crops in Queensland. Herein, we provide new collection records, diagno ses and biological information for the two previously known Australian species of Lasioseius; review the Australian members of the porulosus group; describe five new species (Lasioseius cuppa, L. quandong, L. t raveni, L. wondjina and L. zaluckii); and present a key to the species of Lasioseius that inhabit rainforest leaves. One of the previous rec ords of L. queenslandicus is shown to represent a pantropical tramp sp ecies, L. subterraneus Chant (newly reported from Australia), and L. a thiasae Nawar & Nasr is shown to be a junior synonym of L. queenslandi cus. Gnorimus Chaudri, 1975, Indiraseius Dansehvar, 1987, and Neolaspi na Halliday, 1995, are shown to be synonyms of Lasioseius.