Steneotarsonemus concavuscutum lives under the perianth of coconut fruits and causes necrosis, deformation, resinous lesions, and fruit abortion. Its colony develops in a shelter under the floral bracts of the fruits, which provides protection against biotic (e.g., predation) and abiotic factors (e.g., high temperature and humidity variations and influences from raindrops). However, these characteristics limit biological studies because the bracts prevent the observation of mites during their development. Aceria guerreronis also grows on the perianth of coconut fruits and has been reared using zygotic embryos (in vitro). In the present study, we performed the same procedure for S. concavuscutum. Different densities of S. concavuscutum were confined to zygotic embryos and evaluated after four weeks, with treatment involving A. guerreronis used for comparison. Steneotarsonemus concavuscutum did not develop appropriately on the zygotic embryos, unlike A. guerreronis. Subsequently, the biological aspects of S. concavuscutum were investigated by isolating the mites in arenas made from the perianth fragments of various coconut fruit varieties. An additional treatment was carried out with S. furcatus, another tarsonemid species inhabiting the perianth of fruits. The Steneotarsonemus species completed their development in arenas made of perianth fragments. A difference in developmental time between sexes was observed only in S. furcatus, while no difference was detected for either Steneotarsonemus species across different varieties. Steneotarsonemus concavuscutum exhibited a longer developmental time than S. furcatus, but neither species reproduced on perianth fragments.

Two new species of Neognathus viz. N. irfani sp. nov., collected from litter and soil under Verbascum sp. (Scrophulariaceae), and N. aegeanus sp. nov., collected from litter and soil under Pinus brutia (Pinaceae), Alhagi pseudalhagi (Fabaceae), Olea europaea (Oleaceae) and Verbascum sp. Manisa, İzmir and Aydın provinces (the Aegean region of Türkiye), are illustrated and described. An updated key to the species of Neognathus from Türkiye is given.

Two species, Parathyas pingwuensis Zhong & Guo sp. nov. and Parathyas qilianensis Zhong & Guo sp. nov., were described and illustrated in detail as new species to science, which represent a new recorded genus of Euthyadinae K. Viets, 1931 for the Chinese water mite fauna, and were collected from Wanglang National Natural Reserve, Pingwu County, Sichuan Province and Qilian Mountain, Qinghai Province, China.

The Caatinga biome is unique to Brazil, covering approximately 13% of the country's territory with an estimated area of around 800,000 km², encompassing 70% of the Northeast Region of Brazil. Studies on the diversity of mite species in natural areas are still in the early stages yet are essential because understanding the diversity of these organisms in unexplored environments enables the development of strategies for managing harmful species. Therefore, this study aims to survey Caatinga areas to contribute to the knowledge of the mite diversity occurring in this biome. The study was conducted in three remaining areas of Caatinga, at the following locations: i) Aiuaba Ecological Station, Ceará state; ii) Fazenda das Almas Private Natural Heritage Reserve, Paraíba state; iii) Seridó Ecological Station, Rio Grande do Norte state. More than 5,200 mite specimens were collected, representing 32 species from 10 families. The predatory mite family Phytoseiidae was the most diverse, with 14 species recorded. Among the phytophagous mites, three families were particularly represented: Eriophyidae, Tenuipalpidae, and Tetranychidae. However, no phytophagous species were found in high abundance. Despite the challenging climatic conditions, the Caatinga biome harbors a considerable diversity of plant-dwelling mites. In this study, a new species of Phytoseiidae, Amblyseius suassunai sp. nov., is described and illustrated.

A new species of Cubabodes (Oribatida, Carabodidae)—C. octosetosus sp. nov.—is described, based on adults collected from leaf litter in the mixed forest in southern Cuba. It differs from all known species of the genus in the morphology of the bothridial seta. The morphology of the gnathosoma and legs as well as the legs setation and solenidia are presented for the first time for Cubabodes. A generic diagnosis is revised. An identification key and data on distribution and habitats of the known species of Cubabodes are provided.

Proprioseiopsis mexicanus (Garman), a generalist predatory mite, is a highly effective biological control agent applied for pest management worldwide. It performs particularly well against sap-suckling pests, such as Tetranychus urticae, Frankliniella occidentalis, and Bemisia tabaci, which often occur simultaneously in agricultural ecosystems, posing a greater threat to crop production. In this study, we explored the biological control potential of P. mexicanus by investigating the life history parameters, predation, and prey preference of P. mexicanus on T. urticae, F. occidentalis, and B. tabaci, as well as an alternative prey Carpoglyphus lactis. Our results reveal that P. mexicanus feeding on the four prey species could successfully complete development and reproduction. However, P. mexicanus feeding on B. tabaci had a significantly longer developmental time but significantly lower daily eggs laid and lifetime fecundity than on other prey. Conversely, P. mexicanus feeding on F. occidentalis had a similar developmental time as those feeding on T. urticae and C. lactis, but females had a significantly higher lifetime fecundity (i.e., 36.6 eggs). In both non-choice and choice experiments, P. mexicanus consumed significantly more eggs and larvae over other life stages regardless the prey species. When supplied with larvae of different prey species, P. mexicanus significantly preferred T. urticae and C. lactis over F. occidentalis and B. tabaci for feeding. Our results suggest that C. lactis may be utilized as an alternative host prey for laboratory mass rearing of P. mexicanus, and field augmentative release of P. mexicanus in early growing seasons may efficiently suppress the egg and larva populations of T. urticae, as well as larva populations of F. occidentalis if lack of food in the natural environment. These assumptions need to be confirmed in future experiments.

A new species of phytoseiid mite, Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) neorecki sp. nov., is described based on adult specimens of both sexes and a comprehensive analysis of GenBank data. These specimens were collected from the Golan Heights, in Israel. Additionally, T. (A.) recki Wainstein is redescribed using adult specimens of both sexes collected from various locations, including Crimea, Stavropolski Krai and Altai Republic, Russia. The morphological characteristics, including all dorsal setal measurements and other taxonomically important characters, are nearly identical between T. (A.) neorecki sp. nov. and T. (A.) recki, except for the morphology of the spermatheca and the spermatodactyl. Although the morphological differences are relatively minor, these two species are distinctly separated by their COX1 sequences, which exhibit genetic distances ranging from 0.196 to 0.225 based on the Tamura 3-parameter model. This study demonstrates the significance of the shape of calyx of spermatheca and the position of atrium, whether attached to or incorporated within the calyx in phytoseiid taxonomy. It also demonstrates the value of an integrative approach that combines both morphological and molecular analyses for this widely studied family of predatory mites, Phytoseiidae.

This paper reports on four species of the genus Halacarus Gosse, 1855, collected from Izmir and Antalya in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Türkiye. Two species, Halacarus elifae sp. nov. and Halacarus ercani sp. nov., are newly described, while two others, H. bisulcus Viets, 1927, and H. subtilis Viets, 1940, are reported from the eastern Mediterranean Sea for the first time. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of these species are provided.

The Birjandtrombella Noei is a genus hitherto described for one species from Iran (Asia), and for the third time, the genus was found from Brazil (South America). Birjandtrombella lundi sp. nov. (Acari: Trombidiformes: Prostigmata: Neotrombidiidae) is described and illustrated from neotropical caves in Brazil. This is the fourth larval species of Birjandtrombella in the world. A key to world genera of larval Neotrombidiidae is corrected. Also, an updated key to larval species of Birjandtrombella of the world (larva) is presented and the generic diagnosis is amended.

Four new species, Albia (Albiella) qionghaiensis Jia & Guo sp. nov., Albia (Spinalbia) purpurea Jia & Guo sp. nov., Brachypoda neorubidata Jia & Guo sp. nov., and Neoaxonopsalbia (Lankaxonopsalbia) megaseta Jia & Guo sp. nov. are described and illustrated in detail, which were collected from Hainan Province, P. R. China, representing three genera Albia Thon, 1899, Brachypoda Lebert, 1879, and Neoaxonopsalbia Cook, 1966, and the last two genera are newly recorded genera for the Chinese fauna.

Rondonia state reports more spotted fever (SF) cases than any other state in the Brazilian Amazon. Ariquemes is the only municipality that has reported SF cases in this state, but no information has been obtained about the tick and Rickettsia spp. responsible. This study aimed to describe the free-living tick fauna and search for rickettsial DNA in ticks collected from a region where one specific infection was most likely acquired. Ticks were collected at four sites in Ariquemes municipality, and at one site in both Alto Paraíso and Rio Crespo municipalities. A total of 1082 ticks and eight larvae clusters were collected, comprising 12 species from the genus Amblyomma. The most abundant tick species found in this study were Amblyomma oblongoguttatum, A. scalpturatum and A. naponense. All ticks were tested for the presence of citrate synthase (gltA) and the outer membrane protein A (ompA) gene fragments to detect any Rickettsia. No rickettsiae amplification was observed; however, we did record the presence of A. ovale in the region, including at the probable site infection for a human spotted fever case. This tick is a known vector of Rickettsia parkeri Atlantic rainforest strain in Brazil. These results reinforce the need for further studies of ticks and tick-borne agents in order to improve our knowledge of tick-borne diseases in the Amazon at large.

Dimidiogalumna (Oribatida, Galumnidae) currently comprises seven species collectively distributed in the Paleotropical and southern Palaearctic regions. We describe a new species—D. dhatywalalensis sp. nov.—based on adults collected from litter in a bamboo forest in Western Ethiopia. The new species differs from all known species of the genus by the presence of a specific tuberculate sculpturing in the anterolateral part of the pteromorph. An identification key and summary of distribution and habitats of the known species of Dimidiogalumna are provided.

Water mites of the genus Teutonia Koenike, 1889 are often common in cold montane lakes and pools of shaded streams and include the fastest swimmers among the water mites. This study provides the first-time calibrated phylogeny of this genus in Europe. Fossil-calibrated modelling reveals that the most recent common ancestor of the European Teutonia spp. originated in the Oligocene. Phylogenetic analyses show the presence of at least five species-level lineages within European teutoniid mites, with the T. corsicana-clade as the earliest branching lineage. We infer the origin of Teutonia corsicana at 29.0 million years ago, near the Eocene–Oligocene boundary, indicating that this species or its most recent ancestor was already present on the Corsica-Sardinia block when it broke off from the Iberian Peninsula. The remaining Teutonia clades are relatively younger and began their divergence in the early Miocene (ca. 21 million years ago) and continued with individual species throughout the Miocene. Finally, as a result of an integrative taxonomic approach, three species, i.e., T. lusitanica sp. nov., T. herminiana sp. nov. and T. condei sp. nov. are described as new for science, and the presence of T. cometes is for the first time molecularly confirmed for Portugal.

The present study is based on the oribatid mite material collected from litter in Munesa forest, Oromia region, Central Ethiopia. A list of 11 species, belonging to nine genera and six families, is presented. One new species—Allogalumna (Allogalumna) munesaensis sp. nov. (Galumnidae)—is described. An identification key to the known species of the subgenus is presented.

Tetranychus evansi Baker & Pritchard (Acari: Tetranychidae) is a significant agricultural pest in Europe, Africa, Oceania, and Asia, causing severe damage to Solanaceae crops such as tomatoes. However, although T. evansi invaded New Zealand in 2020, it is restricted to Auckland. It primarily inhabits black nightshade (Solanum nigrum) and has not caused notable harm to local tomato crops. This study compared the developmental and reproductive performance of the invasive T. evansi population in New Zealand on black nightshade and tomato plants. The results showed that T. evansi had a significantly longer development time on tomato plants compared to black nightshade. In addition, both virgin and mated female of T. evansi laid significantly fewer eggs on tomato leaves than on black nightshade ones; and the average size (diameter) of eggs produced on tomato leaves were smaller than those produced on black nightshade. These findings suggest that the invasive T. evansi population in New Zealand are less able to adapt to tomatoes as hosts than to black nightshade. This study supplements the fundamental life history data of the invasive T. evansi population in New Zealand and provides scientific insights for its management strategies.