Maternally inherited Wolbachia and Cardinium are widely distributed among arthropods, and their presence usually causes modifications of the reproduction and fitness of the host. Although co-infections of Cardinium and Wolbachia in the same host is common, yet relatively little is known about the multiple infections on host or the individual effects of each symbiont. In this study, we investigated the effects of, and interaction between, Wolbachia and Cardinium in the doubly infected two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae (red form) in China. The individual cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) level, bacteria density, fecundity, and host longevity were examined. Our results indicate that Wolbachia induced a week level of CI, while Cardinium-infected and doubly infected males causes severe CI. Wolbachia and Cardinium could not modify the CI strength and rescue CI each other. Wolbachia inhibited the proliferation of Cardinium in double-infected mites. The infection with Cardinium alone enhanced the fecundity of infected females. Interestingly, we found survival benefit in Wolbachia-infected, Cardinium-infected and the doubly infected females. We discuss the results observed with respect to the spread of bacterial infection in natural populations.

Food supplementation is an emerging strategy to improve the establishment and resilience of generalist predators in greenhouse crops. This study was conducted to assess the pre-establishment of the generalist predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Phytoseiidae) on two ornamental greenhouse crops, chrysanthemum and ivy. In the first greenhouse trial, we compared two commercial products consisting of Typha angustifolia pollen and decapsulated brine shrimp cysts (Artemia spp.), respectively, with a powdered artificial diet (AD) as food supplements for the predator on chrysanthemum plants at a constant temperature regime of 25°C at a 16:8 h (L:D) photoperiod. A population of A. swirskii established well when T. angustifolia pollen or the artificial diet were applied, but did not when the Artemia product was used as a supplement. A second trial on ivy plants was conducted at two temperature regimes (a constant 25°C and an alternating temperature regime of 30°C/15°C, both at a 16:8 h (L:D) photoperiod), comparing T. angustifolia pollen, the artificial diet and a non-commercial strain of Artemia franciscana cysts as food supplements. At the constant temperature regime, all three food sources allowed the establishment of A. swirskii. At the alternating temperature regime, however, T. angustifolia pollen and the AD but not A. franciscana cysts allowed a population of the predator to establish. Failure of establishment on the latter food supplement was attributed to dehydration effects under low humidity conditions in the greenhouse associated with the higher daytime temperatures at the alternating temperature regime. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the potential of T. angustifolia pollen and an artificial diet as a food supplement to support a population of A. swirskii in different ornamental crops.

A new species of Neobonzia, N. panahiae Paktinat-Saeij, Bagheri & Castro sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on the female and tritonymph from soil and humus on citrus tree in the Mazandaran province, Iran.

A new species of Binodacarus Castilho & Moraes, Binodacarus aceguensis sp. nov., is described based on morphology of adult females and males collected from soil in a survey carried out in the southern of Brazil in 2012–2013, raising to two the number of species known in this genus. The genus is rediagnosed to accommodate the morphological features of the new species.

The tick Haemaphysalis tibetensis is endemic to the Qinghai-Tibet plateau of China, but the morphological characteristics of the larva are unknown. Hence, scanning electron microscopy of all the parasitic stages was carried out with specific concern given to the larval stage. Differences between related species are also discussed. Males of H. tibetensis can be distinguished from those of H. warburtoni and H. qinghaiensis by a combination of the following characters: ventrointernal setae on palpal segment II number 4; dental formula 5/ 5; denticles in inner files 5, outer files 10; spiracular plates subcircular; internal spurs on coxae triangular, terminally blunt on coxae I–III, terminally slender on coxa IV. Females of H. tibetensis can be distinguished by: infrainternal setae on palpal segment II number 5; suprainternal setae on palpal segment II number 3; dental formula 4/4; denticles in files number 9, 12, 14, 14 from inner to outer; spiracular plates subcircular; internal spur on coxa I rounded and blunt, spurs on coxae II–III ridged, coxa IV sub-ridged. Nymphs can be distinguished by: ventrointernal setae on palpal segment II number 2; denticles in each file about 10–12; spiracular plates pyriform; scutum sub-cordiform; internal spur on coxa I triangular, short and stout, ridged on II–IV. Larvae can be distinguished by: scutum pyriform; internal spur on coxa I stout, terminally flat and wide; spurs on coxae II–III short, terminally triangular on coxa II, rounded and blunt on coxa III.

A new species of oribatid mites of the genus Safrobates (Oribatida, Punctoribatidae) is described from the soil of alpine herbaceous snowbank of the Central Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. Safrobates insignis sp. nov. differs from S. miniporus Mahunka, 1989 and S. gerdi Ermilov & Minor, 2016 in having penicillate subcapitular setae h, epimeral setae (except 1c) and aggenital setae, the presence of neotrichy on epimere I, four pairs of notogastral porose areas, six pairs of genital setae and tridactylous legs. Accessory information on Safrobates and the relevance of some morphological traits of the new species are discussed. A revised generic diagnosis is given, relationships of Safrobates, Macrogena and Magellozetes are discussed, and Magellozetes is transferred from Ceratozetidae to Punctoribatidae. An identification key to known species of Safrobates is provided.

Three new vagrant species of eriophyoid mites living on the lower leaf surface of Lippia alba (Mill.) N. E. Brown (Verbenaceae) in the Northeast and Center West Brazil, are described and illustrated. They are: Paraphytoptus serenus sp. nov. and Tegoprionus alobus sp. nov. (both from family Eriophyidae) and Rhynacus lippius sp. nov. (Diptilomiopidae). Detailed anatomy of internal genitalia of the representatives of the three eriophyoid genera (Rhynacus, Paraphytoptus and Tegoprionus) was studied and described for the first time. A new, previously neglected genital structure of eriophyoids, the thorn-like spermathecal process, has been discovered with the aid of confocal laser scanning microscopy. Preliminary analysis indicates that this structure is common for many eriophyid and diptilomiopid species, however it is absent in phytoptid mites. The hypothesis that presence/absence of this process separate contemporary families of Eriophyoidea (Phytoptidae and Eriophyidae Diptilomiopidae) needs further testing.

In this paper four water mite species of the genus Atractides Koch, 1837 (Acari, Hygrobatidae) from Iran are described as new to science. Three of these have a complicated taxonomic history with misidentification and/or confusion. The populations from Iran provisionally assigned by Pešić et al. (2004) to Atractides lunipes Lundblad, 1956 is described as A. zagrosensis sp. nov. The male specimen from Bakhtiari Province, originally assigned by Pešić et al. (2004) to A. fluviatilis (Szalay, 1929) is described as A. bakhtiari sp. nov. Two of the new species belong to the nodipalpis-species group. The populations of the latter group in Iran were analysed using canonical discriminant analyses. Morphological analysis focused on morphometric characters helped us to resolve issues within this group of species and to correct the previous misidentifications. Atractides farsensis sp. nov. is a sister species of A. robustus (Sokolow, 1940) and is described from Fars province. The male specimen from Kerman province originally assigned by Asadi et al. (2003) to A. nodipalpis Thor, 1899 is here described as A. kljajici sp. nov.

The genus Zetzellia Oudemans (Acariformes: Stigmaeidae) is reported for the first time from Pakistan as well as from South Asia, with a new species Z. sialkotensis sp. nov. The new species is described and illustrated based on both female and male, collected from Sorghum halepense L. (Poaceae) in association with Tetranychus spp. (Acariformes: Tetranychidae) from Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan. The species, Eustigmaeus segnis (Koch) is new to the mite fauna of Pakistan. Distribution, host data and a key to all reported stigmaeid species from Pakistan are provided.