Integrated systematics of Phytoseiidae mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) and life traits for biological control

Systematics is essential to identify biodiversity and assess evolutive, geographic and historical relationships, markers of the successive adaptations always in action to environment modifications. Phytoseiidae family comprises more than 2,500 species of predators; some of them being used for biological control all over the world. Systematics is based on morphological and molecular traits, using several markers being used depending of the deepness of the evolutive nodes investigated. Systematics also generates data compilation useful for biodiversity and ecological interaction characterization. Here, we will show through several examples how Phytoseiidae systematics, both at interspecific and intraspecific levels, is used for the functional management of agrosystems for ensuring biological control. First, works on the reliability of morphological identification through statistical analyses of seta variations will be presented, with the development of polytomous keys aiming to make identification easier and more used by end-users. Then, we will show how phylogenetic relationships can be used for biological control both at inter and intraspecific levels, first questioning the biological methods approaches presently developed and second determining relationships between evolution and ecological traits. Finally, we will present the use of geographic and morphological databases, to search for new natural enemies, new adaptive traits and new ways of use, especially in a framework of agroecological approaches in the context of climate change.