The effect of temperature on survivorship, reproduction, adult longevity, population growth parameters, fecundity and sex ratio of the predatory mite Neoseiulus barkeri Hughes fed on nymphal stages of Tetranychus urticae Koch was determined at seven constant temperatures of 15, 20, 25, 27, 30, 35 and 37°C. Fitting adult survival data to Weibull frequency distribution indicated that the adult survival curve was type I at all temperatures tested, which means most deaths occurred among older individuals. The values of the life table entropy at the temperature range of 15–37°C (H < 0.5) correspond to type I Slobodkin's survivorship curve. The oviposition period and female and male adult longevity decreased as temperature increased from 15 to 37ºC. The highest value of the net reproductive rate (R₀) was 22.02 females/female at 25°C.The longest and shortest female longevity were 86.28 and 20.5 days at 15 and 37°C, respectively. Furthermore, the highest and lowest values of the intrinsic rate of increase (r_m) were 0.256 and 0.036 females/female/day at 30 and 15ºC, respectively. The relationship between temperature and r_m of N. barkeri was modeled and critical temperatures including T_min, T_opt and T_max for intrinsic rate of increase were estimated at 13.51, 32.20 and 39.92°C, respectively using the Lactin 2 model. Moreover, the mean generation time (T) decreased significantly from 47.18 to 8.51 days with increasing temperature from 15°C to 37°C. The shortest and longest doubling times (DT) were 2.71 and 19.16 at 30°C and 15°C, respectively. The results of this study indicated that N. barkeri has inherent potential for the control of two-spotted spider mite at higher temperatures especially at temperatures between 30–35°C.

A total of 4,575 ticks were collected from 5,953 small mammals captured from March 2004 to December 2008 at 19 military training areas and 6 US military installations, Gyeonggi and Gangwon Provinces, Republic of Korea. Ixodes nipponensis (98.9%; 753 nymphs, 3,771 larvae) was the most frequently collected tick, found on six of the 11 small mammal species captured, followed by Ixodes pomerantzevi (1.1%; 17 females, 9 nymphs, 24 larvae) found on two species. While only one T. sibiricus was collected, it was infested with 44 ticks, with an infestation rate of 100.0%, followed by Rattus norvegicus (16.7%, n=18), Apodemus agrarius (14.6%, n=5,397), Crocidura lasiura (7.5%, n=265), Microtus fortis (7.3%, n=82), Myodes regulus (5.7%, n=53), and Micromys minutus (4.8%, n=63). No ticks were collected from Apodemus peninsulae (n=3), Mus musculus (n=58), Tscherskia triton (n=12), and Mogera wogura (n=1). Ixodes nipponensis nymphs were most frequently collected from small mammals from March to April, while larvae were more frequently collected during September. Ixodes pomerantzevi was collected only during February–April 2008, and a single Haemaphysalis flava nymph was collected from A. agrarius in August 2004.

During 2008–2009, ticks were opportunistically collected from free-living lowland tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) and white-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) during two studies of the ecology of Amazonian ungulates near or within two conservation areas in Madre de Dios, Peru. From tapirs, adults of the following tick species were collected: Amblyomma coelebs, Amblyomma incisum, Amblyomma latepunctatum, Amblyomma oblongoguttatum, Amblyomma ovale, and Amblyomma scalpturatum. Ticks collected from peccaries included adults of Amblyomma naponense and A. oblongoguttatum, nymphs of A. coelebs and A. latepunctatum, and larvae of Amblyomma sp. The 7 Amblyomma species collected in the present study have been previously reported in Peru. Although it is a common parasite of tapirs and/or peccaries in the Neotropical Region, we provide the first report of A. oblongoguttatum on tapirs in Peru. In addition, we provide the first report of A. coelebs and A. latepunctatum nymphs on peccaries. For nymphs of the latter tick species, this is the first host record.

A new species of oribatid mite of the family Autognetidae Grandjean, 1960, Autogneta (Rhaphigneta) iranicasp. nov., is described from Guilan province, northern Iran. The new species is characterized by long humeral processes, long and brush-like sensilli, narrow costulae, laterally granular prodorsum (‘granula') and short notogastral setae c2. This species was collected from soil under Persian ironwood trees (Parrotia persica).

A new species of Stigmaeus Koch (Acari: Trombidiformes), Stigmaeus shendabadiensis n. sp., is described and illustrated. It was collected from soil in an apple orchard at Shendabad, East Azerbaijan, Iran. A key to the species of Stigmaeus of Iran is given.

A new species, Prostigmaeus khanjanii sp. nov., is described and illustrated from Iran, along with a key to Prostigmaeus of the world.

A new species of the genus Storchia, S. ardabiliensis sp. nov., is described and figured based on females collected from grass-covered soil under Corylus avellana Contorta trees (Betulaceae) in Ardabil, Ardabil province, Iran. An updated key to all species of Storchia is also given.

A tenuipapid mite, Tenuipalpus orilloi Rimando, recently discovered from Phoenix roebelenii (Arecaceae), is recorded to the Chinese fauna for the first time. In this paper we compare the mites collected from Hainan province, China with the original and other previous descriptions of this species and re-describe the adult female with detailed illustrations.

Shivatonia turcicus sp. nov. is described and illustrated from females. The new species is compared withthe only other two species of Shivatonia, Shivatonia acetabulensis, Panesar, 2004 and Shivatonia ispartaensis, Boyaci and Özkan, 2004. Shivatonia turcicus sp. nov. is the second species of Shivatoniafrom Turkey.

A new water mite, Mideopsis gereckei n. sp. (Mideopsidae), is described from Iran. It is the second species of the subgenus Xystonotus Wolcott from the Palaearctic region.

New records of water mite species (Acari: Hydrachnidia, Halacaroidea) from Patagonia (Southern Chile) are reported. Four species, Anisitsiellides australis Smit, 2002, Peregrinacarus falklandensis Bartsch, 2001, Lobohalacarus weberi (Romijn & Viets, 1924) and Soldanellonyx monardi Walter, 1919 are new for the fauna of Chile. The first two species are previously known only from the type locality in Argentina and the Falkland Islands, respectively.