The morphological ontogeny of Tectoribates ornatus (Schuster, 1958) based on specimens from Romania is described and illustrated. The juveniles of this species are plicate, unideficient and apheredermous, with leaf-like prodorsal setae in and le and most gastronotal setae. The larva has sclerites on the gastronotum, and some of them bear setae. In the juveniles, seta d is present at solenidion σ on genua I–III, φ₁ on tibia I and φ on other tibiae, but this seta is lost in the adult. In the nymphs, seta d on all femora and seta l′ on genu and tibia I are leaf-like.

The genus TrachyoribatesBerlese, 1908 (Oribatida, Haplozetidae) comprises two species, which are distributed in the Oriental region and New Guinea. A new species of Trachyoribates is described from forest litter in Malaysia. Trachyoribates viktortsoiisp. nov. is morphologically most similar to Trachyoribates annobonicusPérez-Íñigo, 1981 in having long interlamellar setae and tridactylous legs, but differs from the latter by the entirely reticulate body surface, five pairs of genital setae and 11 pairs of notogastral setal alveoli, including dp. A revised generic diagnosis, identification key and data on distribution and ecology of known species of this expanded concept of Trachyoribates are presented. MagyariaBalogh, 1963 is considered a junior synonym (syn. nov.) of Trachyoribates and the known 19 species of Magyaria are recombined.

Three new species of eriophyoid mites from South China are described and illustrated: Acadicrus sterculussp. nov. infesting Sterculia lanceolata Cav. (Sterculiaceae) belongs to the subfamily Phyllocoptinae (Eriophyidae), Diptacus cinnamomussp. nov. infesting Cinnamomum japonicum Sieb. (Lauraceae) and Diptilomiopus heteropanaxsp. nov. infesting Heteropanax fragrans (Roxb.) Seem. (Araliaceae) belong to the Diptilomiopinae (Diptilomiopidae). All three new species are vagrants causing no apparent damage to their host plants.

We describe a new species of OphiomegistusBanks, 1914 from Australia—O. rexsp. nov. parasitic on the lizard Ctenotus regius Storr, 1971. We review the state of knowledge of the genus Ophiomegistus in Australia, and conclude that much more extensive collecting will be needed to determine the degree of host specificity in this genus of parasites.

A series of lab experiments with ticks (collected by flagging in the natural biotopes in North-Western Russia) was carried out in order to study tick reaction to attractants imitating the smell of a potential host. All the ticks that showed either positive or negative reactions to attractants in the experiment were individually PCR-tested for B. burgdorferi s.l DNA.

The percent of Borrelia - positive specimen among hungry active adult I. ricinus and I. persulcatus ticks was higher than that among hungry passive ones. The discovered infection of I. persulcatus females by B. burgdorferi s. l. was 56% from which 67% were active and 36% were passive ticks. Total infection of adult ticks was 45% (61% active, 24% passive ticks). Infection of I. ricinus females was 60%, 69% in active individuals and 48% in passive, total infection of adult ticks was 56% (70% in active, 43% in passive). Synthetic kyromonas (attractant) composed of 1-octen-3-ol and a mixture of ethyl myristate-methyl salicylate (1:1), simulated the odour of the host in the experiment, attracted up to 70% of adults of I. ricinus and up to 80% of I. persulcatus. It can be assumed that this percent of adult ticks reflect an overall number of individuals searching for a hosts during the season of activity in natural biotopes.

Morphological details of specimens collected from several localities in Brazil and identified as Africoseius lativentris (Karg 1982) are provided. The taxonomic position of AfricoseiusKrantz, 1962 has been debated over the years, with repeated changes in its familial placement. A phylogenetic study based on 18S and 28S rDNA sequences of the Brazilian population of A. lativentris collected at Jaboticabal, São Paulo State, and similar data of 70 taxa representing 11 families of Gamasina indicated that Africoseius is a member of the well-supported Podocinidae (sensuLindquist et al. 2009) clade. The main morphological similarities and differences between Africoseius and the group of species until now placed in Podocinidae sensu Lindquist et al. (2009) are listed. Apomorphic characteristics uniting those taxa include the hypotrichous condition of tibia I (eight and nine setae instead of ten or more in other free-living Gamasina) and the insertions of av2 and pv2, considerably more distal on tarsi II and III than in the majority of the free-living Gamasina. Within Podocinidae, a new subfamily, Africoseiinae, is proposed, based on uniquely apomorphic characteristics of the setae ad4 and pd4 (sensuEvans 1969) of tarsi II–IV absent, and setae av4 and pv4 of same basitarsi long, incurved and close to each other and to a posterior longitudinal extension of the peripodomeric suture and on the attenuated form of the lateral (rather than the medial) hypostomatic setae. This subfamily is currently represented by Africoseius areolatus Krantz and Africoseius lativentris (Karg 1982), while all other presently known species of the family are now placed in the subfamily Podocininae.

Three new species of the tribe Phyllocoptini (Acari: Eriophyidae) from China, are described and illustrated. They are Phyllocoptes gaotainensussp. n. on Populus euphratica (Salicaceae), Calepitrimerus anomalussp. n. on Paeonia anomala (Paeoniaceae) and Paraepitrimerus stellarussp. n. on Stellaria sp. (Caryophyllaceae). Based on the characteristics of dorsal and ventral annuli smooth, P. gaotainensussp. n. may represent a deutogyne form. All three new species are vagrant on the lower leaf surface. No damage to the host was observed.

Chamobates borealis (Trägårdh 1902) has been considered by some authors as a junior synonym of Chamobates pusillus (Berlese 1895). In this study we used an integrated taxonomy approach, comparing mitochondrial coding gene COI and morphological ontogeny of these species to clarify their systematic status. The Bayesian inference tree based on COI sequences of C. borealis and C. pusillus, as well as C. birulai (Kulczyński 1902), C. bispinosusMahunka, 1987, C. cuspidatus (Michael 1884) and C. rastratus (Hull 1914) separated all these species. In terms of the morphology, the adults of C. borealis and C. pusillus have similar body size and shape, thin aggenital setae and two lateral teeth on the rostrum, but C. borealis has the medial incision between these teeth, which is absent in C. pusillus. The adults of these species differ also from each other by the shape of bothridial setae, size of area porose Aa, location of seta lm and lyrifissure im, and the shape of most setae on the hysterosoma. The morphological ontogeny of these species is similar, but the larva and nymphs of C. borealis differ from those of C. pusillus by the length of some prodorsal and gastronotal setae, and the nymphs of C. borealis have a humeral organ, which is absent in C. pusillus. The presence of a humeral organ in some Chamobates species supports a clade inferred by COI sequence data.

Pollen used as an alternative or supplementary food source for a predatory mite not only provides important nutrients but also allows the predator to establish a population before prey becomes available. In this study, we compared the pollen of apricot, pear, hollyhock, opium poppy, and date palm, and a factitious prey, UV-irradiated eggs of Ephestia kuehniella, as food sources for Amblyseius swirskii. Different food items affected all development stages differently, except for hollyhock pollen, where eggs failed to develop to maturity. Food type affected the reproductive ability of females, which did not reproduce when fed on opium poppy during immature stages. Most eggs per female were produced when feeding on the factitious prey, and second most with apricot pollen. Feeding on factitious prey compared with pollen, resulted in greater longevity of both female and male adults. Feeding on pear pollen or factitious prey caused, respectively, the lowest and highest population growth rates (r and λ). Both net (R₀) and gross (GRR) reproductive rates were highest when the factitious prey was the food source. Among the pollen diets, apricot was the most beneficial food item. Because of their effects on rates of population increase, either apricot pollen or the factitious prey could be further utilized as cost-effective alternative food diets for both experimental and commercial mass rearing of A. swirskii.

Water mites of the Hygrobates fluviatilis complex are common in Palaearctic inhabiting mainly running and slowly flowing waters. In this study, we examined the specimens collected in a stream in Golestan Province of Iran which is currently the easternmost distribution limit of the latter species complex. We used a fragment of the mtDNA COI gene and the D2 region of 28S rDNA to test the genetic structure. Molecular analyses revealed presence of two new well-supported species with a mean genetic divergence of 12.80% and 14.66% COI, respectively, from their closest relatives. Phylogenetic analysis based on COI and nuclear DNA data placed H. grabowskiisp. nov. as the sister species of H. persicus, and H. uliisp. nov. as the sister species of H. turcicus. Discriminant statistical analysis revealed that the two newly discovered species could be separated on the basis of morphometric characters, but robust morphological differences were not found. Yet we were able to show that diversity in water mites is underestimated and that species delimitation requires an integrative approach.

This paper deals with five new species of torrenticolid water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia, Torrenticolidae) from Hainan Island, China, i.e. Monatractides cuspiscoxer sp. nov., M. jini sp. nov., M. vietusacoxer sp. nov., Torrenticola postfusina sp. nov. and T. hainanensis sp. nov.. Detailed descriptions for these new species and a modified key to all species of Torrenticolidae in China are provided.

A new species, Amblydromalus itacoatiarensissp. nov. is described and illustrated based on adults of both sexes. It was found in association with plants in natural and agro-ecosystems, in Amazonas state, Brazil. A key to Brazilian species of the genus is provided.

A new species of the genus Hoplocheylus Atyeo and Baker (Acariformes: Heterostigmata: Tarsocheylidae), H. lindquisti Xu & Zhang sp. nov., is described based on larva, deutonymph, adult male and female specimens collected from the bark of dead Pinus massoniana Lamb. infested with Monochamus alternatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in Fuzhou city, China. This is the first report of the genus Hoplocheylus and the family Tarsocheylidae in China.

Four new species of the water mite genus Neumania Lebert are described from the Hanma National Nature Reserve, Genhe City, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. Neumania (Neumania) vitrea Ding & Jin n. sp., based on male and female adults and distinguished by its transparent body; Neumania (Neumania) multiseta Ding & Jin n. sp., based on male and female adults and differentiated from related species by the numerous swimming setae on IV-Leg-4–5 of male; Neumania (Neumania) villosa Ding & Jin n. sp., based on adults of both sexes and deutonymphs, initially found both in running and standing waters and distinguished by a well sclerotized body and integument covered with dense fine spines; Neumania (Neumania) tumeroglandula Ding & Jin n. sp., also based on adults of both sexes and deutonymphs, and distinguished by its giant glands of the fourth pair of lateroglandularia.

During the field study of eriophyoid mites from Clematis orientalis L. (Ranunculaceae) in semi-arid and arid environment in East Iran (Birjand, South Khorasan, Iran, from 2016 to 2017), two new eriophyid mite species (Trombidiformes: Eriophyidae) were collected. They are Epitrimerus birjandicasp. nov. and Aculus clemachinensissp. nov.; they are illustrated and described herein. Both new species seemed to be vagrants on the green parts. The checklist of eriophyid mites associated with Ranunculaceae throughout the world was provided.

The conservation status of an ecosystem is checked by studying the composition and diversity of the organisms that interact in trophic chains. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biodiversity of mites associated to Capsicum annuum L. var glabriusculum (Solanaceae) at three sampling sites corresponding to two Protected Natural Areas (PNA) in Tamaulipas state, Mexico. Samplings were carried out in “Cañón de la Peregrina” and “Altas Cumbres” situated in the PNA “Altas Cumbres” and “Ojo de Agua”, located in the “El Cielo” Biosphere Reserve. Mite diversity was H = 1.09 ± 0.14 in Ojo de Agua, and it was H = 1.08 ± 0.08 and H = 1.11 ± 0.06 in Altas Cumbres and Cañón de la Peregrina, respectively. A total of 47 species were identified belonging to 35 genera of 18 families associated to C. annuum L. var glabriusculum in Mexico. Predatory mite richness was higher than that of generalist and phytophagous mites (31, 11 and 5 species, respectively) for the two ANP. The similarity index of Jaccard between OA–AC (I_J = 0.257; P < 0.05), CP–AC (I_J = 0.293; P < 0.05) and AC–CP (I_J = 0.324; P < 0.05) was low. Pseudopronematalus sp. 4 (Iolinidae) was predatory mite most abundant in both ANP (P_i = 9.311); followed by Metaseiulus (Metaseiulus) negundinis (Denmark) (Phytoseiidae) only for ANP “Altas Cumbres” (P_i = 1.004). While for phytophagus mite, Aculops lycopersici (Tryon) (Eriophyidae) and Tetranychus merganser Boudreaux (Tetranychidae) presented the highest abundances in all sites (P_i = 79.919 and 5.142, respectively). The high number of mites species associated to chile piquín suggests stability in the PNA despite anthropogenic activities, and that the PNA works as a mite reservoir.

Ixodes amaraliFonseca, 1935 is a tick species endemic to Brazil, where it has been reported only in the Caatinga (semiarid), Cerrado (savannah), and Atlantic forest biomes. While females of I. amarali have been several times collected, the male has remained undescribed. Here we report new collections of larva, nymph, females, and one male of I. amarali from the Pará State, northern Brazil, which constitute the first records of this tick species in the Amazon biome. The male of I. amarali is morphologically described. Partial sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene were generated from the single male and one female of I. amarali from the Amazon biome. Phylogenetic analysis inferred from 16S rRNA partial sequences showed that I. amarali (male and female) from Amazon grouped with a sequence of I. amarali from southeastern Brazil. These three sequences clustered into a monophyletic group with sequences of Ixodes loricatus Neumann, 1899, Ixodes luciae Sénevet, 1940, and Ixodes schulzei Aragão and Fonseca, 1951, which constitute the so-called “I. loricatus group”. Morphological characters to separate the male of I. amarali from I. loricatus, and I. luciae are provided.

Red spider mite (Tetranychus evansi) is considered one of the main tomato pests in Africa. As an alternative to chemical control, the use of pest-resistant cultivars has been considered a desirable and environment-friendly choice. Therefore, our study aimed to evaluate the influence of trichomes on settlement and oviposition preferences of T. evansi in African tomato varieties, besides comparing them to South American wild tomato species. First, free- and no-choice laboratory tests were carried out to investigate settlement and oviposition preferences of females on leaflets of two South American wild tomato species (Solanum pennellii LA-716 and S. habrochaites var. hirsutum PI134417) and five African tomato varieties (S. lycopersicum cv. Kekefo, Akikon, TLCV15, Tounvi, and TOML4), the latter are widely grown in Benin. Thereafter, leaf trichome types were determined and densities were estimated and then correlated to numbers of settled females and laid eggs on leaflets of each assessed genotype. According to our findings, females strongly preferred to settle and oviposit on African varieties rather than on South American genotypes. Regarding trichome density, non-glandular type Va showed significant positive correlations with both studied parameters, with the highest amounts in African genotypes. Conversely, glandular trichome density (mainly types I, IV, and VI) presented significant negative correlations with preference indicators, with the largest densities in South American species. The high density of non-glandular trichomes on leaflets of the varieties Akikon, Tounvi, Kekefo, TOML4, and TLCV15 might have been one of the causes of preference of T. evansi females.