Ticks, Aponomma sphenodonti, were collected from tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus, in the field and also obtained from a captive host in the laboratory. Developmental times of life history stages were determined, both at a constant 18°C and at ambient temperatures that ranged from 10 to 26°C. Feeding times and longevity of freeliving stages were also determined. The duration of the life cycle allowed for one generation annually or two every 3 years, depending on whether minimum or maximum developmental times were considered. Although copulation was only observed to occur off the host, it is just as likely to occur on the host because of the substantial numbers of attached males. Additional data from collections of preserved ticks permitted an estimate of the seasonal activity of each active tick stage. All stages were common around the time of host nest building, although there is no clear evidence to suggest that the tick is nidiculous, and larvae were most numerous long before the host's eggs were laid. Aponomma sphenodonti appears to be capable of tolerating a lower host temperature than is the case for at least one other species of reptile tick in the genus. This report is the first record of biological data for Ap. sphenodonti.

This paper presents a preliminary analysis of chigger communities associated with the house rats (Rattus flavipectus) in six counties of Yunnan Province, China. The analysis addresses chigger species composition, infestation rates, community structure and spatial patterns, as well as interspecific relationships of dominant chigger species and species abundance distribution. The Shannon-Wiener method was used in the calculation of community structure. Patch index (m*/m) was used in measuring spatial patterns. The association coefficient was adopted in the analysis of interspecific relationships. In the six counties investigated, 451 individuals of R. flavipectus were captured and 2114 chiggers were collected from these hosts. It was common for R. flavipectus to host chiggers, and 31 chigger species were found on this species of rats. The diversity index of the chigger community was 1.63. Five dominant chigger species accounted for 91.11 % of the total chigger community, and Ascoschoengastia indica was the most abundant species. The overall mite infestation rate and overall mite index were 18.18% and 4.69, respectively. The mutual interspecific relationship between A. leechi and A. indica was determined to be a positive association (V=0.75, P<0.01). A theoretical curve for species abundance distribution was successfully fitted in a semilogarithmic rectangular system, and the species abundance of chiggers conformed to the lognormal distribution pattern. The aggregated pattern of dominant chigger species suggests an uneven distribution of chiggers among individual rat hosts.

Evidence is presented based on morphological, electrophoretic and behavioural data, and on geographical distribution, that Aponomma tachyglossi Roberts is an independent species parasitic primarily on echidnas. Females of A. tachyglossi are distinguishable from the closely related species A. hydrosauri (Denny), parasitic on reptiles, in the shape of the porose areas, and males by the extent of the punctate areas between the scutum and the festoons. Nymphs and larvae of the two species could not be distinguished. In electrophoretic studies, A. tachyglossi was found to differ from A. hydrosauri at 16% of the 18 loci examined. Larvae of A. tachyglossi failed to attach and engorge on lizards, the usual host of A. hydrosauri. Futhermore, A. tachyglossi was found to have a limited geographical range in coastal areas of central Queensland. These data support the hypothesis that A. tachyglossi is a distinct species.

This work reports the tick species collected from June 2000 to June 2004 from six small red brocket deer (Mazama bororo), a recently discovered deer species, and one gray brocket deer (Mazama gouazoubira), all free-living in an Atlantic rain forest area in São Paulo State, Brazil. The small red brocket deer were infested with larvae, nymphs and adults of Haemaphysalis juxtakochi, nymphs of Amblyomma incisum, and several undetermined Amblyomma nymphs and larvae. The gray brocket deer was infested with A. incisum nymphs and undetermined Amblyomma nymphs. A gray brocket deer carcass found 3 km away from the forest had 12 nymphs of Amblyomma cajennense. Haemaphysalis juxtakochi has been commonly found on deer species in the Neotropics, suggesting a natural host-parasite relationship. Amblyomma incisum is a tick from dense forest habitats and its principal hosts, tapirs, probably maintain tick populations along forest trails, with the result that immature stages infest deer sharing these trails. Amblyomma cajennense is a very widespread tick in Brazil, and its primary hosts are capybaras, tapirs and horses. An interesting feature of this work was the absence of A. cajennense on forest deer.

The following Mexican ticks labeled as Amblyomma triste Koch, 1844, were found in the Colección Nacional de Ácaros, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México: 4 males (M) and 4 females (F), ex cattle, Jun. 19, 1975, Las Pilas (28°49′N 102°00′W), Múzquiz, Coahuila; 1 M and 1 F, host, date and locality as above; 1 M, ex undetermined deer, Oct. 18, 1976, Yécora (28°22′N 108°56′W), Sonora. Both localities are in the Nearctic Zoogeographic Region. The ticks were confirmed as A. triste, thereby corroborating previous statements concerning the presence of this tick in Mexico. The current known distribution of A. triste includes the Neotropical and the Nearctic Zoogeographic Regions. Amblyomma triste is classified in the subgenus Anastosiella Santos Dias, 1963, whose members are difficult to differentiate in any stage. It is hoped that conventional and molecular taxonomic studies of Anastosiella species will help to clarify their range and phylogenetic relationships.

The adult females of two new species of the family Phytoseiidae: Euseius tikriti and Typhlodromus abboudieius are described and illustrated. The two species were found in a grapevine orchard in Akkar district (north Lebanon).

In this paper the oribatid mite Damaeus phalangioides Michael, 1890 is transferred to the genus Metabelbella and is redescribed. It was first described (based on only one specimen) from the North of Africa (Algeria) and, until now, it was only recorded once again (only one specimen also), from Southeast Spain, in Sierra Nevada. This second record was not included in the revision of the series Fauna Ibérica by Pérez-Íñigo (1997). Neither specimen was recorded in a cave, but now a third specimen has been found in a cave in southern Spain and the presence of this species in Spain is confirmed. Metabelbella phalangioides com. nov. could be a truly troglobic species because the specimen is rather pale coloured despite having a great body size. We assigned the new specimen to this species due (among other features) to the great development of its legs, the longest known among oribatid mites, although species with legs longer than the body are not uncommon in the family Damaeidae. The following new combinations are also proposed: Metabelbella gratiosa (Willmann, 1941) com. nov. and Metabelbella clavigera (Willmann, 1954) com. nov.

A new species, Cunaxa jatoiensis sp. nov., is described and illustrated. The types were collected at Jatoi (Muzafargarh) from stubble of sugarcane and deposited in the Acarology Research Laboratory, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. A key to species of Cunaxa from Pakistan is also given. The species Rubroscirus valentis Muhammad, Chaudri & Akbar, R. rasile Muhammad & Chaudri and R. otiosus Muhammad & Chaudri are changed to Cunaxa valentis (Muhammad, Chaudri & Akbar) com. nov., C. rasile (Muhammad & Chaudri) com. nov. and C. otiosus (Muhammad & Chaudri) com. nov.

Stigmaeus mazandaranicus sp. nov. is described and illustrated. The new species was collected from decayed rice bran in Sari, Iran. A key to the known Iranian species of Stigmaeus is provided.

New records of water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from Khorassan Province (NE Iran) are presented. Eleven species are recorded: Protzia sepasgosariani sp. nov. is described as new to science; the first description is given of the female of Atractides kermanensis Pesic, 2005; new records from Iran are given for Sperchon tarnogradskii Sokolow, 1927, Atractides cf. polyporus (K.Viets 1922) and Arrenurus corsicus (E. Angelier 1951).

Eight new species of mites are described and illustrated from China: Abrolophus unimiri sp. nov., Erythraeus (Erythraeus) yangshounicus sp. nov., E. (E.) zhangi sp. nov., Leptus guilinicus sp. nov., Balaustium innocentae sp. nov., Podothrombium xianicum sp. nov., Leptus coloanensis sp. nov. and Johnstoniana rudolfi sp, nov. Abrolophus aitapensis is reported for the first time from Macao, China. New records are given for Podothrombium paucisetarum, Allothrombium ovatum and A. pulvinum from China.

Charletonia kalithensis sp. nov., C. samosensis sp. nov., Erythraeus (Zaracarus) kastaniensis sp. nov., E. (Zaracarus) passidonicus sp. nov., Allothrombium polikarpi sp. nov. and Podothrombium manolatesicus sp. nov. are described and illustrated. Hauptmannia silesiacus, Grandjeanella multisetosa, Leptus josifovi and Allothrombium triticium are reported for the first time from Greece.

The genus Abalakeus was only known from the larval stage parasitic on orthopterans or free-living usually on plants. Some larval specimens of Abalakeus lorestanicus were captured in Andalucia, Spain on Steropleurus andalusius (Rambur, 1838) (Orthoptera, Ephippigerinae) and were reared to the nymphal stage. In this paper, the nymphal stage of Abalakeus is described for the first time.