The correct original species name Haemaphysalis qinghaiensis Teng, 1980 was derived from Latinization of a geographical name, in conformity with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) (1961), Articles 11 and 32, and Appendices C and D (ICZN 3^rd ed., 1985), as well as Article 11, Recommendation 11A (ICZN 4^th ed., 1999). The incorrect subsequent spelling “quinghaiensis” is not an available name and cannot be used as a substitute name (ICZN 3^rd ed., Article 34c, and 4^th ed., Article 33.3). The geographical name “Qinghai” means blue lake, a large lake of northwestern China from which Qinghai Province derives its name. It is therefore not surprising that naturalists exploring Qinghai Province have applied the specific epithet qinghaiensis to their discoveries. Currently, over 160 species of plants, animals, and even bacteria bear the name qinghaiensis. Romanization of Chinese words was approved by the Chinese government in 1958 and subsequently registered with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which has consultative status with the United Nations under ISO-7098.1977, revised as ISO-7098.1991.

Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.; Sapindaceae) is a plant native to Southeast Asia, where it is mostly cultivated. This crop has been severely damaged in Australia, Brazil, China, Hawaii, India and Pakistan by the litchi erineum mite, Aceria litchii (Keifer) (Eriophyidae), which attacks mainly leaves but also flowers and fruits. Phytoseius intermedius Evans & McFarlane is one of the phytoseiid mites most commonly found in association with this pest in Brazil. The objectives of this study were to: a) to compare the predation and oviposition rates of P. intermedius when fed A. litchii with the same rates when the predator was fed other food sources [the eriophyid Aculops lycopersici Tryon, the spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch and pollen of Typha domingensis (Pers.)]; b) to evaluate the life history parameters of P. intermedius fed A. litchii. The results indicated that A. litchii is a suitable food source for nymphs and adults P. intermedius. The combined immature stages (egg-adult) lasted 6.0 ± 0.1 days, with fecundity recorded at 25.4 ± 1.5 eggs, and a corresponding average oviposition rate of 1.2 ± 0.1 eggs per day. The intrinsic rate of increase (r_m) was 0.229 female/female/day. All field collected specimens and laboratory reared progeny of P. intermedius consisted of females, indicating that it most likely reproduces by thelytokous parthenogenesis.

Biological characteristics of a predator can be affected by the nutritional history of its prey, e.g., change in the nutritional components of prey may influence the development and reproduction of its predator. In this study, the predation, reproduction and conversion rate of a native predatory mite, Neoseiulus barkeri were compared when fed with two colonies of the flour mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae, the one reared on common wheat bran (TPA) and the other on a mixture of wheat bran and yeast (TPB). The experiments were conducted under laboratory condition at 25°C, 80% relative humidity, and 16:8 light:dark photoperiod. The daily consumption of unmated and mated N. barkeri females fed with TPB was 1.30 and 1.93 times higher than those fed with TPA. The daily and cumulative fecundity of mated predator females fed with TPB were 1.55 and 2.47 times, and their eggs being 1.20 times as those of females fed with TPA. The daily consumption of unmated females gradually decreased with age. For both mated and unmated females fed with TPA or TPB, we observed a wave pattern curve of daily prey consumption. The mean difference between two wave peaks was 3.55±0.23 days. It seems a periodic trend instead of random vibration due to the relative consist differences between wave peaks and similar sizes of the peaks. About 82% and 74% overall consumption of mated females offered TPA and TPB were allocated to reproduction, with corresponding conversion rate being 0.39 and 0.28, respectively. Overall, adding yeast to the diet of T. putrescentiae led to increased fecundity of N. barkeri mainly through stimulating its predation.

A new species of Montenegtrombium, M. baloutchi sp. nov. (Acari: Microtrombidiidae), is described from Kandovan region, Alborz Province, Iran. The larval mites were collected as ectoparasites of three grasshopper hosts including Acridia sp., Oedipoda schochii Brunner von Wattenwyl and Chorthippus brunneus (Thunberg) (Orthoptera: Acrididae).

Climate change predictions depict scenarios where arthropods will be more intensely and frequently exposed to extreme high temperatures. A short period of heat stress is unlikely to cause directly mortality but may modify population dynamics via impacting life history traits. In this study, the newly-emerged female and male adults of the predatory mite, Neoseiulus barkeri Hughes (Acari: Phytoseiidae) were exposed to 42 °C for 4 hours to investigate the heat effects on the copulation, longevity, fecundity and egg hatchability through parental effects of the mite. The results showed that after heat stress, the females had a markedly extended pre-oviposition period, shortened oviposition period, and reduced fecundity and longevity. At the meantime, when females mated with the heat stressed males, the pre-oviposition period was prolonged, the oviposition period was shortened and the fecundity was reduced. A sex-specific effect of short term heat exposure on mating behavior was further observed in males where copulation duration of the stressed individuals were somewhat prolonged. In addition, a trade-off between survival and reproduction was observed in heat stressed females. However, heat stress had no effects on immediate mortality, pre-copulation period, post-oviposition period, male longevity and egg hatchability of the progeny generations. Our results confirmed that heat stress had a detrimental effect on reproduction, particularly by delaying the onset of oviposition and reducing reproductive output and thereby influencing the population dynamics of N. barkeri.

Ochoanemus dux gen. nov., sp. nov. (Tarsonemidae: Tarsoneminae) is described from adult males and females collected on leaves of Psidium cattleyanum Sabine (Myrtaceae) from the Atlantic Forest in coastal area of São Paulo State, Brazil. Measurements and illustrations of both sexes are provided. This species is unusual in the shape of dorsal setae d (on males and females), sc1 (males) and v1 (females) which are club-shaped and serrate.

A new species of fortuyniid mite, Alismobates keniaensis sp. nov., from the coast of Kenya is described and an assessment of the biogeographic distribution pattern of marine associated ameronothroid mites occurring on African coasts is provided. Alismobates keniaensis sp. nov. represents the first record of the genus Alismobates from Africa and this species can be easily distinguished from its congeners by the position of notogastral seta C₁ on the lenticulus, fifteen pairs of notogastral setae, relatively long interlamellar setae and drop-shaped granular cavities next to acetabula IV. A further intertidal species, the selenoribatid Schusteria melanomerus, was also found on Kenyan shores indicating that this species shows a continuous distribution along the eastern African coast from Kenya to Mozambique. Basically, the subtropical and tropical Fortuyniidae and Selenoribatidae are concentrated along the south-eastern shoreline of Africa whereas the cold-adapted Ameronothridae mainly occur at the south-western tip of the African continent. This distribution pattern coincides with the prevalence of the warm Agulhas current off the east coast and the cold Benguela current off the west coast of southern Africa. In sum thirteen species from three ameronothroid families can be found on this continent, of which eight are endemic to Africa. However, more than half of the whole African coastline has not been investigated so far and therefore present biogeographic knowledge on these mites of this region should be regarded as only preliminary data.

Seven known predaceous species of the family Cheyletidae (Acariformes: Cheyletoidea) were recorded from one locality in the European part of Russia (Tula Province, near Suvorov town): Cheyletus eruditus (Schrank, 1781), Cheletomimus lindquisti (Thewke and Enns, 1979), Cheletacarus raptor Volgin, 1961, Paracheyletia pyriformes (Banks, 1904), Paracheyletia recki Volgin, 1966, Cheletomorpha lepidopterorum (Shaw, 1794), and Mexecheles virginiensis (Baker, 1949). In addition, Chelacheles apanaskevichi sp. nov. is described and illustrated, and the female of P. recki is described for the first time.

Prey stage preference, switching and mutual interference of Phytoseius plumifer (Acari: Phytoseiidae), a predator of the two-spotted spider mite (TSSM), Tetranychus urticae were evaluated in a growth chamber at a temperature of 27±2°C, relative humidity of 50±5% and a photoperiod of 16:8h (L:D) on the leaf disc of soybean (Glysine max (L.)). The results of no-choice experiments revealed that P. plumifer consumed egg, larva, protonymph and male stages of TSSM more than deutonymph and female but in choice experiments, the predator significantly preferred immature stages of its prey. Switching behavior of the predator studied on the larval and deutonymphal stages of TSSM at 30:70, 40:60, 50:50, 60:40 and 70:30 ratios (larva:deutonymph). The predator switched from one stage when it becomes rare to another more abundant stage. Furthermore, a significant relationship between the logarithm of the predator density and the logarithm of per capita searching efficiency of P. plumifer was recognized with the interference coefficient (m) of -0.399. This revealed that as the predator density increased, the per capita predation rate and per capita searching efficiency decreased significantly. Although P. plumifer is not a specialized predator of the TSSM, it potentially aids in enhancing biological control of this mite.

In a survey conducted in southern China for potential biocontrol agents of spider mites, a Neoseiulus sp. was recorded and identified as Neoseiulus californicus based on morphological diagnosis, although 3 morphological features specific for this population were observed. To verify the taxonomic status of this population, we compared DNA sequences from three molecular markers—12S rRNA, Cyt b mtDNA and ITS—with those of other N. californicus populations from multiple countries, using N. idaeus as outgroup. All 3 molecular markers were congruent and supported the Chinese Neoseiulus specimens to be N. californicus. The intraspecific genetic distances determined from all populations including the Chinese one were 0.75, 1.8, and 0.049 while the interspecific genetic distances were 12.1, 28.2, and 3.9 for 12S rRNA, Cyt b mtDNA, and ITS, respectively. In addition, comparison of biological data—development, reproduction and life table parameters—of different N. californicus populations based on published data also supported both molecular and morphological diagnosis of the Chinese Neoseiulus specimens. The Chinese population had the second shortest developmental duration when fed with Tetranychus urticae, and moderate fecundity and life table parameters when compared to other populations.

This paper includes descriptions and illustrations of two new species including Aceria ulmosimilis Lotfollahi & Haddad n. sp. as blister making species and Aculus tetranemus Lotfollahi & Gol n. sp. as vagrant species on Ulmus minor Mill. (Ulmaceae), and information about three other eriophyid mites collected from Elm trees, Ulmus spp. (Ulmaceae) recently discovered from Iran.

An understanding of the impact of acaricides on predatory mites is crucial for integrated pest management (IPM) programs. The present study evaluated the sublethal effect of spirodiclofen on life table parameters of the subsequent generation of the predatory mite, Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) fed on Tetranychus urticae Koch under laboratory conditions. The sublethal concentrations LC₁₀, LC₂₀ and LC₃₀ were determined based on a dose-effect assay. Exposure to the sublethal concentrations of spirodiclofen had no significant effects on developmental time of offspring of treated mites. Compared with LC₁₀ treatment, the oviposition period of treated mites with LC₂₀ and LC₃₀ concentrations decreased significantly. The intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ) and net reproductive rate (R₀) were not affected by sublethal concentration. Our results suggest that sublethal concentrations of spirodiclofen may not affect the population parameters of offspring from treated A. swirskii.