Tick-borne diseases, such as anaplasmosis and babesiosis, are of major concern for Norwegian sheep farmers. Ticks can be controlled on and off the host, usually with the long-term, high-rotation use of chemicals. Fungal pathogens, predatory mites and ants are thought to be important tick killers in nature. However, the prevalence and diversity of predatory mites in tick habitats has barely been evaluated. It is known that most soil mite species of the cohort Gamasina (order Mesostigmata) are predators. Until now, 220 mesostigmatid species have been reported from Norway, most of them belonging to the Gamasina. One of the first recommended steps in a biological control program involves the determination of the fauna in the pest habitat. The objective of this study was to determine the groups of gamasines co-occurring with I. ricinus in sheep grazing areas in Isfjorden and Tingvoll in Western Norway. A total of 2,900 gamasines of 12 families was collected. The most numerous families were Parasitidae (46.9%) and Veigaiidae (25.7%), whereas the most diverse families were Laelapidae, Macrochelidae, Parasitidae and Zerconidae. Our results showed that the tick density was significantly related only to locality, elevation and rainfall. Differences in the prevailing environmental conditions resulted in more outstanding differences between Gamasina abundances than diversities. Based on our present knowledge of the potential of different gamasine groups as biological control agents, the results suggested that laelapid mites should be among the priority groups to be further evaluated for their role in the natural control of I. ricinus in Norway.

Paurotyndareus Darbemamieh & Kazmierski n. gen. (Acari: Iolinidae: Tydaeolinae) is described and illustrated. The new genus can be separated from Tyndareus and near genera by reduced chaetotaxy of legs and genital region. This genus is characterized by double tip eupathidium at the end of palp, femur I with five setae, genu III with one seta, three pairs of genital and two pairs of aggenital setae. Paurotyndareus persicus Darbemamieh and Kaźmierski n. sp. collected from soil in Kermanshah, Iran is described as the type-species.

The present work deals with the oribatid mites of the family Brachychthoniidae found in Iran. One new species of this family, Eobrachychthonius iranicus sp. nov., is described from Fars province, southern Iran. Identification keys for the known species of Eobrachychthonius and also for the known species of Brachychthoniidae of Iran are presented.

In some biological programs, multiple predator species are released to control a single prey species. While in some cases release of multiple species may provide a better control, in other cases species may interact with each other with possible negative outcome on biological control program. In this study, intraguild predation was assessed among three phytoseiid species, Amblyseius swirskii (Athias-Henriot), Neoseiulus barkeri (Hughes) and Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot under laboratory conditions in either absence or presence of Tetranychus urticae Koch and/or pollen. Adult females of all three predator species exhibited higher predation rate on larvae than on the other immature stages. Phytoseiulus persimilis did not feed on the nymphal stages of the other two phytoseiid species, while A. swirskii and N. barkeri fed on all juvenile stages of the two others. Females of A. swirskii consumed more phytoseiid larvae than did the other two species. However, the predation of females of the three species on immature stages decreased significantly when prey/food was added to experimental units. Our results suggest that the three species, A. swirskii, N. barkeri and P. persimilis are potentially prone to intraguild interactions with each other, and A. swirskii is the strongest intraguild predator. The results of this study may be helpful in selecting effective biological control strategies against spider mites.

The juvenile stages of oribatid mites of the family Licnodamaeidae sensu lato are poorly known, and little information is available on the morphology of ontogenetic stages. Herein, the nymphs and exuvial scalps of two species, Pedrocortesella fusca (Rjabinin, 1986) and P. inaequalis (Balogh & Mahunka, 1965) are described and illustrated. The nymphs are generally similar in their habitus. Basic characteristics of nymphs are: the lightly sclerotized and unpigmented body, slightly stockier than adults with tuberculate cerotegument; lateral sides of body as well as epimeral and anogenital regions are distinctly folded; nine (c₁–c₃, lp, h₁, h₂, p₁–p₃) or eight pairs of gastronotic setae (setae c₂ absent in P. inaequalis); conspicuously concaved or nearly rounded posterior end of gastronotum; exuvial scalps with slightly folded reticulate sculpture, without adherent materials, lightly fastened to gastronotum of nymphs, but their adults do not carry exuvial scalps. Both are Palaearctic species, currently known from Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern Asia, and appear to be primarily inhabitants of soil and litter; they prefer xeric habitats, such as forest-steppe, steppe, semi-desert and dwarf semi-shrub desert. Additionally, comparative analyses of juvenile stages of species belonging to Licnodamaeidae sensu lato as well as Licnobelbidae are given based on our own data and available literature sources.

An annotated checklist of the Cuban Oripodoidea (Acari, Oribatida) is provided. It includes 16 species from 10 genera and four families. Of these, eight species, three genera and one family are recorded for the first time in Cuba. Two new species of the genus Protoribates (Haplozetidae) are described and illustrated on the basis of adult specimens. Protoribates tetrasetosus sp. nov. is morphologically most similar to P. mollicoma (Hammer, 1973), but differs from the latter by the short interlamellar, notogastral and ventral setae. Protoribates paramadagascarensis sp. nov. is morphologically most similar to P. madagascarensis (Balogh, 1960), but differs from the latter by the smaller body size, position of rostral and lamellar setae and notogastral setae lp, the absence of microgranulate cerotegument on the notogaster and anogenital region and the absence of a transverse ridge in the basal part of the prodorsum.

The new genus and species Apediculaster carpelimus Rahiminejad and Hajiqanbar gen. nov., sp. nov. (Acari: Prostigmata: Pygmephoridae) are described and illustrated from Oak forests in northern Iran, based on phoretic females associated with Carpelimus (Paratrogophloeus) rivularis (Motschulsky, 1860) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae). The new genus is close to the genera Pediculaster Vitzthum, 1931, Pediculitopsis Mahunka, 1970 and Brasilopsis Mahunka, 1975 but can be distinguished by one pair of setae h on tergite H, two pairs of simple setae (v₁, sc₂) on prodorsum and one pair of pseudanal setae.

The morphological ontogeny, distribution and ecology of Damaeus torquisetosus (Mihelčič, 1955) and Epidamaeus puritanicus (Banks, 1906) were investigated. In the juveniles of D. torquisetosus the legs are longer than the main body, especially leg IV, the prodorsal setae are of medium size, except for short seta in in nymphs, the dorsal setae on gastronotum are long or very long, except for distinctly shorter setae c₃ and h₂ in larva, seta h₃ absent in larva, most gastronotal setae are curved, finely barbed, with flagellate distal part and inserted on apophyses, the cornicle is straight and situated between setal pair lm and epimeral setae are of different lengths. Juveniles of D. torquisetosus differ from the known juveniles of other Damaeus species in the following: absence of seta h₃ in the larva, but present in other Dameus species, seta c₃ in nymphs is of medium size whereas in most other species it is short. In the juveniles of E. puritanicus legs I, III and IV are as long or slightly longer than the main body, the prodorsal setae are of medium size, curved and barbed, most gastronotal setae are long, except for shorter setae c₃, la, lm, h₂ and h₃ in larva, most dorsal gastronotal setae are curved, finely barbed, distally flagellate, and inserted on apophyses, the cornicle of nymphs is straight and located between setal pair lp and epimeral setae are of similar length. The juveniles of E. puritanicus differ from the known juveniles of other Epidamaeus species in the following: seta h₃ present in the larva which is similar to other Epidamaeus species except in E. verrucatus, seta h₂ in larva is long, whereas in other species it is short, seta c₃ in nymphs of medium size whereas in most other species it is short. Damaeus torquisetosus is known from Iberian Peninsula, whereas E. puritanicus has a holarctic distribution, but both species prefer forest litter.

The work presents a review of the genus Sinobryobia Ma, Gao and Chen based on the collection of En-Pei Ma. The generic taxonomic characters and status are discussed. The detailed diagnosis of Sinobryobia chinensis is given and the errors in the original description are corrected based on the study of the holotype and paratype.

The genus Chelaseius Muma & Denmark represented by C. valliculosus Kolodochka, the genus Typhloseiulus Chant & McMurtry represented by T. carmone (Chant & Yoshida-Shaul) and T. peculiaris (Kolodochka), Amblyseius adjaricus Wainstein & Vartapetov, A. meridionalis Berlese, Kampimodromus ericinus Ragusa & Tsolakis, Neoseiulus alustoni (Livshitz & Kuznetsov), N. karandinosi Papadoulis, Emmanouel & Kapaxidi, Proprioseiopsis ovatus (Garman), Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) kerkirae Swirski & Ragusa, Typhlodromus (Typhlodromus) exhilaratus Ragusa and T. (T.) pritchardi Arutunjan are recorded for the first time for Turkish fauna. Amblyseius adjaricus, C. valliculosus, K. ericinus and N. alustoni are re-described and illustrated. The measurements of the other eight species were provided to access intraspecific variations and to secure future diagnosis. A revised key for the identification of Turkish phytoseiids is also included here.

Cuckoos are known for being brood parasites, however, the majority of the family Cuculidae (Aves: Cuculiformes) raise their own young. In those brood parasitic cuckoo species, raised by their fosterers, direct contact between a parent and its offspring is unknown. Life cycle and ecology of their ectoparasites therefore remain enigmatic. Until now, only one quill mite species (Acari: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) parasitising brood parasitic cuckoo, Cuculus canorus L., was known. Therefore, we investigated syringophilid fauna of four other parasitic species of the family Cuculidae: Cuculus solitarius Steph., Cercococcyx montanus Chap., Pachycoccyx audeberti (Schl.), and Scythrops novaehollandiae (Lath.), as well as four non-parasitic species: Crotophaga ani L., C. sulcirostris Swain., Guira guira (Gmel.) and Centropus goliath (Bonap.). We have found out that all studied parasitic species as well as one non-parasitic cuckoo, Centropus goliath, forming one phylogenetic lineage, harbour the same quill mite species, Cuculisyringophilus chirovi (Bochkov & Mironov), but three other non-parasitic cuckoos forming a sister clade are infected by three different syringophilid species: Calamincola lobatus Casto, Crotophagisyringophilus io Skoracki, and Cuculisyringophilus crotophaginus Skoracki. These findings confirm the knowledge on other groups of ectoparasites associated with avian brood parasites that their ectoparasite species richness is substantially lower compared to sister, non-parasitic lineages. However, the question of transmission to new host individuals is raised: how are quill mites, dwelling practically all their lives (except short transmission episode) inside a calamus cavity, able to infect other parasitic cuckoos: if they never meet their biological parents then vertical transmission cannot be possible?

New records of water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) from bromeliad phytotelmata in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest are presented. One species, Protolimnesia goldschmidti (Limnesiidae) is described as new for science. It differs from all other species of the genus by the sixth segment of fourth legs having two subterminal setae extending beyond tip of segment. A first description of the female, deutonymph and larva is given for Xystonotus phytotelmaticola Pešić, 2015 (Mideopsidae).

Dolichotetranychus iranicus sp. nov. (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) collected from Phragmites australis is described and illustrated from Kerman and Khuzestan provinces, Iran.