Phytoseiids are important biological control agents on different cultivated plants. This work aimed to know the diversity of phytoseiids and compare the abundance and richness of these mites found in grape-producing regions located in northern Portugal. Samplings were conducted in the subregions of Ave, Cávado, Douro, Lima and Minho Rivers between July and September 2017, in 25 vineyards (three in Ave, four in Cávado, eight in Douro, five in Lima and five in Minho Rivers), by collecting 50 leaves/vineyard. A total of 4,372 phytoseiid mites were found, and the highest abundance of phytoseiids per leaf was in Lima, with an average of 6.4, followed by Douro and Minho, with 2.5 and Ave, with 2.0. The highest richness was found in Ave and Douro, with 80% of the species reported. Typhlodromus pyri predominated in nearly all rivers, except when comparing Ave versus Douro, Cávado versus Douro and, Cávado versus Minho; in these cases, Kampimodromus aberrans predominated in Douro and Minho. This also occurred when K. aberrans and Typhlodromus exhilaratus were compared between Douro and Minho. Comparing Ave and Minho, T. exhilaratus predominated in Minho. Knowing about the phytoseiids present in the studied regions of northern Portugal helps develop biological control strategies and balance these agroecosystems.

The morphological ontogeny of Eubelba danubedeltaica sp. nov. is described and illustrated. The adult of E. danubedeltaica is most similar to E. sculpta (Mihelčič, 1957) which differs from E. danubedeltaica by the presence of tubercle E2p, slightly longer seta c₁ and leg IV, and thicker and clearly barbed epimeral, genital, aggenital and anal setae whereas in E. danubedeltaica tubercle E2p is absent and these setae are thinner and most are smooth, except for finely barbed genital and anal setae that are clearly visible at a high SEM magnification. In the juveniles of E. danubedeltaica, most prodorsal setae are of medium size, except for short seta in in the nymphs and very long setiform bothridial seta which are strongly curved in the distal part. Most gastronotal setae of juveniles are long, or very long, except for medium-sized c₃, la, lm and h₂, and short h₃ in the larva, and medium-sized c₃ and p₂ in nymphs. The nymphs are quadrideficient and eupheredermous, i.e. they have lost the d-series setae and carry the exuvial scalps of previous instars using a cornicle located between setal pair h₃. In all juveniles, the famulus ε on tarsus I is sunken but is emergent in the adult. Seta d accompanies solenidion σ on genua I–III and φ on tibiae II–IV.

The ixodid tick Amblyomma cordiferum Neumann, 1899 is an uncommonly collected Old World reptile-associated species that is primarily ectoparasitic on snakes. This tick is known from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Samoa. In Taiwan, A. cordiferum has previously been reported on Elaphe carinata (Günther), Elaphe taeniura (Cope), and Ptyas mucosa (Linnaeus). In this paper, we examined a total of 246 specimens of A. cordiferum from recent and old collections. Here we report new Taiwan records of A. cordiferum parasitizing the Chinese cobra, Naja atra Cantor, many-banded krait, Bungarus multicinctus Blyth, and yellow-spotted keelback, Fowlea flavipunctatus (Hallowell). This is also the first report of A. cordiferum parasitizing members of the venomous family Elapidae in Taiwan, as well as the first report of A. cordiferum parasitizing a member of the colubrid genus Fowlea Theobald. An updated host-parasite list summarizes all known hosts of A. cordiferum throughout this tick's geographic range.

Many previous descriptions of Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) species lack some important morphological characteristics including the number of dorsal solenotomes (gland pores). However, the importance of the presence or absence of a single pair of solenostomes to identify two distinct species in some phytoseiid genera, such as Kampimodromus Nesbitt and Neoseiulus Hughes has previously been confirmed by molecular studies in several cases. Neoseiulus marginatus (Wainstein) was originally described from Kazakhstan, a country located in Central Asia, based on the specimens collected from herbaceous plants. It was subsequently reported and redescribed from a series of Western Palearctic countries. However, the material first redescribed from Crimea and thereafter from Armenia, Greece, Israel, and Turkey, by having gd5 solenostomes, is distinct from the original N. marginatus described by Wainstein. Indeed, our examinations of its type specimens confirmed that gd5 pores are consistently absent in the type series of N. marginatus. Therefore, this species is redescribed and illustrated based on the female lectotype. In addition, N. pseudomarginatus sp. nov., a widely distributed species in the Western Palearctic countries, which has seven pairs of solenostomes is described as a new taxon for science. Furthermore, our examinations of the type specimens of N. polyporus (Wainstein) indicated that it should be considered as a junior synonym of N. marginatus, as already suggested in earlier studies.

Two new Eriophyes species are described and illustrated on tamarisk (athel) plants from Egypt. They are Eriophyes aegyptitamarix sp. nov., collected from the base of leaves and twigs of Tamarix senegalensis DC. (Tamaricaceae) and caused rusting symptoms, and Eriophyes gizaensis sp. nov., collected from rounded green galls on buds and twigs of T. senegalensis. The adult and immature stages of both species are described and illustrated.

A new species of water mite from Montenegro, i.e. Atractides milosevici sp. nov., is described, using morphological data and DNA barcodes. Morphologically, the new species is closely related to A. nodipalpis sensu Gerecke, 2003 but differs in its distinct COI barcode sequence, as well as details of the terminal segments of the first legs. Morphological examination of specimens of A. nodipalpis from the Netherlands which belong to the same BIN (BOLD:ACA0209) as the specimens of the nominal species collected near its type locality in Norway reveals that the latter, one of the most common water mite species in running waters in Europe, can be identified by the shape of male genital plate with a distinct anteromedial peg-like fissure. A redescription is given of Atractides nodipalpis (Thor, 1899) based on material from the Netherlands.

Effective management of arthropod communities in agricultural environments requires knowledge of the diversity and distribution of species that inhabit host crops. Therefore, we conducted this study to evaluate the richness, abundance, and intra-plant distribution of the most abundant mite species in mango plants. Leaves or reproductive structures were collected monthly considering the different canopy quadrants (North, South, East, and West), the position of the branch (basal, median, and apical), and, in the case of leaves, their position on the branch (basal, median, and apical). A total of 28 species belonging to 12 mite families were identified. Cisaberoptus kenyae, Vilaia pamithus, and Oligonychus mangiferus were the most abundant phytophagous species, accounting for 87%, 6%, and 3% of the total number of mites collected, respectively. Vilaia pamithus was the most abundant species in the southern quadrant. Amblyseius largoensis (Phytoseiidae) and Cunaxa sp1. (Cunaxidae) were the most abundant among the predators (15.1% and 13.1%, respectively). The highest level of diversity was observed in the basal and median leaves of the basal and median branches of mangoes. The intra-plant distribution of these species was influenced by plant architecture and geographical position. Most species were found on mango leaves, whereas other species colonized inflorescences and/or fruits, but at low densities. In this study, we found considerable diversity of phytophagous and predator mites in mango plants. These predator mites may be crucial for controlling mango pests.

Two new Phyllocoptine species (Eriophyidae: Phyllocoptinae) including Shevtchenkella acerutinis sp. nov. and Epitrimerus cupresservirens sp. nov. were collected from Acer velutinum Boiss. (Sapindaceae) and Cupressus sempervirens L. (Cupressaceae), respectively in Sari county, Mazandaran province, North of Iran. They are described and illustrated. This is the first report of eriophyoid mite species in association with Acer velutinum and Cupressus sempervirens plants.

Predatory mites are important biological control agents for phytophagous mites and several small insect pests on vegetables, while the control efficiency is often limited by the changeable or fluctuating environment, especially under the threat of global warming. To mitigate the undesired impacts of high temperature environment, a high-temperature adapted strain (HTAS) of the predatory mite Neoseiulus barkeri (Hughes) was screened from a conventional strain (CS) by long-term heat acclimation (35°C) and regular heat hardenings (45°C). In this study, to investigate the molecular mechanisms of enhanced thermotolerance in HTAS N. barkeri, four mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway genes were identified from the predatory mite N. barkeri. The expression levels at different developmental stages showed four MAPK pathway genes were highest at adults and lowest at eggs or nymphs in both strains. Under 42°C high temperature stress, the expression levels of four identified MAPK pathway genes increased rapidly at a short time in both N. barkeri strains and the magnitude of expression increase in HTAS N. barkeri was even more evident. In addition, the MAPK pathway genes expression in CS N. barkeri sharply decreased following longer exposure periods at 4 h, whereas the expression in HTAS N. barkeri remained elevated after 4 h. These results suggested that MAPK signaling pathway participated in the formation of thermotolerance in predatory phytoseiid mites, which provided new insights in promoting the biological control efficiency of predatory mites under changeable environment.

The two spotted spider mite (TSSM) Tetranychus urticae is one of the most economically key mite pests of fields and greenhouse crops over the world. In order to clarify the control efficacy of Neoseiulus barkeri on Tetranychus urticae in the presence of entomopathogenic fungus (EPF) Acremonium hansfodii. This study was conducted to evaluate the control of combining N. barkeri with A. hansfodii against T. urticae. The results showed that the functional response of N. barkeri treated with Ahy1 strain to T. urticae was Holling type II equation. Among these, the highest predation number and the shortest attack time were obtained for the predator feeding on eggs, then followed by feeding on nymphs, female adults ranked as the lowest. That of N. barkeri to T. urticae treated with Ahy1 strain was also Holling type II equation. The predation capacity of N. barkeri on nymphs and female adults of T. urticae treated by Ahy1 strain increased with the increase of the concentration of Ahy1 strain, but that when feeding eggs had no significant difference. Therefore, the combination of EPF with N. barkeri on control of TSSM had synergistic effects, which will provide the guidance to carry out combined utilization of entomogenous fungi with predatory mites.

We report the presence of multiple brown dog ticks (Rhicephalus linnaei) from the Indian vulture Gyps indicus. This paper constitutes the first report of this tick species from the vulture, and also the first documentation of ectoparasites from vultures in Malaysia. Additionally, we have conducted a literature review on ticks from vultures worldwide, resulting in 21 tick species consisted of six genera (Argas, Ornithodoros, Amblyomma, Hyalomma, Ixodes and Rhipicephalus) recorded from eight Old World vultures and two New World vultures. The lists of ticks infesting both vulture groups, along with pathogens detected from some of these ticks, are provided in this paper.

Amblyomma helvolum Koch is an Asiatic reptile-associated tick that usually inhabits tropical forests and is primarily parasitic on varanids, skinks, and snakes. In Taiwan, A. helvolum has been reported on Elaphe carinata (Taiwan stink snake) and Ptyas mucosa (Oriental rat snake). Herein, we report new host records of A. helvolum in Taiwan from the following squamate species: Diploderma swinhonis (Swinhoe's japalure), Eutropis longicaudata (Long-tailed sun skink), Oligodon formosanus (Taiwan kukri), Sphenomorphus incognitus (Brown forest skink), and Trimeresurus stejnegeri (Chinese green tree viper). In addition, we present an overview of the distribution of A. helvolum across its range and its association with reptilian microbial agents.

A new genus and species of the Microtrombidiidae, Troglotrombidium dolichopodum n. gen. et n. sp. is described based on ectoparasitic larvae collected from two Dolichopoda lycia (Galvagni 2006) (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae) specimens from a cave in Western Taurus Mountains, Turkey. The new genus can be distinguished from other genera by the absence of eyes, highly modified claws of tarsi III, sensillary setae structure of the anterior dorsal scutum, and the number of adoral setae. The new species is a typical troglobite, and this interspecific interaction is a well-documented case for the little-known host-parasite relationships from subterranean ecosystems.

The oribatid mite genus Parapyroppia Pérez-Íñigo & Subías, 1979 (Ceratoppiidae) is reported in China for the first time. During investigation of soil biodiversity in northeast China in 2021, a new species, Parapyroppia changbaiensis sp. nov., was found from soil and litter of north slope of Changbai Mountain in Erdaobaihe Town, Jilin Province. The main purpose of study is to describe and illustrate this new species. In addition, an updated generic diagnosis, a checklist and a key to world species of Parapyroppia are presented.

In this study, three sublethal concentrations (LC₅, LC_15, and LC₂₅) of Envidor®_speed (Abamectin and Spirodiclofen mixture, 24% SC, Bayer co.) on the biological parameters of the predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Heneroit (Acari: Phytoseiidae) fed on Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) was assessed based on the Two-sex life table theory under laboratory conditions (25 ± 1°C, 70 ± 5% RH and 16:8 (L: D) hours). The data were analyzed based on a two-sex life table procedure. Increasing the sublethal concentration did have a significant effect on some life table parameters. The total lifespan of both males and females treated mites had a decreasing trend, for the females, it increased from 22.10 days in LC₂₅ treatment to 42.67 days in control. The oviposition days of the predatory mite had the most differences between the LC₁₅ and LC₂₅ treatments compared to LC₅ and control. Based on our results, the total fecundity is also affected by the acaricidal doses, which changed from 19.10 eggs per individual in LC₂₅ to 37.17 eggs per individual in control. The net reproductive rate (R₀), as well as the gross reproductive rate (GRR), were all significantly reduced with increasing the acaricide concentration. The control treatment had the maximum value, and the higher concentration treatment (LC₂₅) had the slowest value of R₀ and GRR. On the contrary, the intrinsic rate of increase (r) and finite rate of increase (λ) showed no significant differences with the increasing concentration of acaricide from the control to LC₂₅ treatments. Eventually, with due attention to the large range value of each LCs for predatory mites concerning recommended concentration for T. urticae based on the active ingredient, the recommended concentration of Envidor_speed in IPM programs is unobstructed.