Edaphic mesostigmatid mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) and thrips (Insecta: Thysanoptera) in rose cultivation and secondary vegetation areas in the Bogotá plateau, Colombia

Soil mesostigmatid mites include predator species with potential as biological control agents. Their use for that purpose in rose crops in Colombia is highly desirable, to complement pest management strategies. The first step for their use in a program is to know their identity. The objectives of this study were: to determine the species of non-Uropodina Mesostigmata present in rose fields and the surrounding secondary vegetation of fields in the Bogotá plateau, relating their occurrence to soil characteristics; and to determine the fluctuation of the density of those mites and of thrips in selected areas of that plateau. The study was conducted between August 2015 and December 2016 in four rose fields in greenhouses at Nemocon, Tocancipa, Cogua and Guasca, and patches of secondary vegetation next to the latter two localities. Twenty soil samples were taken every two months from each area. Complementary samplings were conducted at irregular frequencies in a rose field and a patch of secondary vegetation of other region (Facatativa) and in two patches of high Andean vegetation (La Calera, Soacha). Ninety-six species were found. In both rose cultivation and natural vegetation, Parasitidae and Laelapidae were the dominant families throughout the study, but high proportions of Veigaiidae and Blattisociidae were also observed in secondary vegetation. Twenty-five thrips species were found, distributed in six genera (Thripidae). Mite species composition was compatible with that of temperate areas of other parts of the world, given the high elevation of study sites (2460–2777 m), despite its location close to the equator. Three of the species collected have been commercialized as biological control agents in other countries. A significant and positive correlation was found between mite density and organic matter content and pH level. The study showed a great diversity of Mesostigmata in the Bogota plateau (altogether, 96 species), at least eight of which new to science and several in need of better taxonomic characterization.