Tick cell cultures have been widely used as an important tool for the study of tick-associated microorganisms, specifically for medically important bacteria or viruses that may be difficult to isolate or culture in axenic conditions. In this study, primary embryonic tick cell cultures were initiated separately from each of the egg batches laid by 10 female ticks belonging to the hard tick genus Haemaphysalis. All cultures were maintained at 28°C. After 10 months, 4 healthy cultures were identified with the potential for developing into continuous tick cell lines. These cultures comprise large cells predominantly forming floating cell clumps with multicellular vesicles, which are morphologically similar to cell lines derived from the soft tick Ornithodoros moubata. Subculture has not yet been performed due to the low cell density at the time of writing. Amplification and sequencing of a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene from DNA extracted from the parent ticks showed 99%-100% similarity to published sequences of Haemaphysalis bispinosa. This is the first report of the initiation of embryonic cell cultures from Haemaphysalis ticks found in Malaysia. Such tick cell cultures will be useful for studies of tick-borne pathogens in this region, where recent studies have shown that Haemaphysalis ticks are highly represented and harbor medically important bacteria.

A new species of microzetid oribatid mites of the genus Kalyptrazetes is described from upper soil and leaf litter in the primary evergreen lowland rainforest of Amazonian Peru. Kalyptrazetes bifurcatus Ermilov sp. nov. differs from other representatives of the genus by the morphology of rostral and centroventral epimeral setae and anterior parts of lamellae, the length of some notogastral, epimeral and genital setae, and the absence of an X-structure in the epimeral region. The main generic traits and an identification key to known species of Kalyptrazetes are provided.

Eight new taxa of Eriophyidae mites associated with native trees in the Cupania genus—C. oblongifolia Mart. and C. impressinervia Acev (Sapindaceae)—from the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, are described and illustrated. They include two new genera and two new species of Nothopodinae, Colopodacini (Setibia domatiagena gen. nov., sp. nov. and Aricolopodos alagoensis gen. nov., sp. nov.), one new genus and two new species of Cecidophyinae, Colomerini (Euryslobos keronidos gen. nov., sp. nov. and Gammaphytoptus cupanius sp. nov.), and one new species of Phyllocoptinae, Tegonotini (Shevtchenkella caboata sp. nov.).

The morphological ontogeny of Anachipteria magnilamellata (Ewing, 1909) is described and illustrated. The adult of this species lacks the anterior pteromorphic projection, and has 10 pairs of notogastral setae, with longer c₂ and la, and four pairs of porose areas, with the largest Aa. Genua I and II of A. magnilamellata have an anteroventral projection, seta v″ on femur II is longer than bv″, seta l′ on femur III is short and leg tarsi are heterotridactylous, with smooth claws. The prodorsal setae of juveniles are minute, except short rostral seta (ro), whereas the gastronotal setae are short or medium sized and barbed. Seta h₁ is absent from the larva. The leg segments of juveniles are stocky, and leg claws and most leg setae are smooth. Seta d at solenidion ϕ on tibia IV is present. The morphology of A. magnilamellata is compared with that of congeners. We consider Weigmanniella Subías, 2010 as a junior synonym of Anachipteria.

A new eriophyoid mite species, Diptilomiopus floridanus sp. nov., (Eriophyoidea: Diptilomiopidae) is described and illustrated from various Citrus spp. in Florida, USA. This is the second Diptilomiopus sp. known on citrus worldwide and the third on plants of Rutaceae. A key is provided for six Diptilomiopus spp. including the new species.

A new oribatid mite genus, Coetzeella gen. nov. (Oribatida, Oppiidae), with C. navalensis sp. nov. as type species, is proposed and described based on adults from termitaries of South Africa. It is distinguished from all oribatid taxa by having a deep hollow bordered by membranoid lobes on the hump-like anterior part of prodorsum.

Eotetranychus hirsti Pritchard & Baker (Tetranychidae) is one of the important pests of fig trees that is widely distributed in fig orchards of Iran. The predatory mite Phytoseius plumifer Canestrini & Fanzago is a phytoseiid mite on fig that can feed and reproduce on E. hirsti. The effect of four constant temperatures (20, 25, 30 and 35°C) on demographic parameters of P. plumifer fed on nymphal stages of E. hirsti was determined under laboratory conditions at 50 ± 5% RH and a photoperiod of 16:8 h (L: D). The total developmental time of immature stages of this predator decreased with increasing temperature from 20°C to 35°C, and varied from 17.13±0.23 to 6.55±0.19 days for females. The lower temperature threshold (T_min) and thermal constant (K) for the total immature stages of this predator was estimated 10.33°C and 166.67 degree-days by the ordinary linear model, 11.17°C and 147.87 degree-days by the Ikemoto linear model, respectively. Female longevity was 67.79, 47.00, 35.11, and 27.42 days at 20, 25, 30 and 35°C, respectively. The highest values of total fecundity and daily fecundity were obtained at 25°C (35.71±1.73 eggs) and 30°C (1.57±0.02 eggs), respectively. The value of the intrinsic rate of increase (r_m) increased as increasing temperature from 20°C (0.064±0.0012 day^-1) to 30°C (0.180±0.0023 day^-1), and then decreased at 35°C (0.153±0.0037 day^-1). The highest and lowest values of the mean generation time (T) were 32.75±0.95 and 14.18±0.51 days, which were obtained at 20°C and 35°C, respectively. The results of this study revealed that of P. plumifer is effective predator of the fig spider mite and develops effectively at a broad range of temperatures.

Morphological anomalies are most frequently noted in adult ticks. Therefore, in this paper, we describe interesting morphological anomalies in Hyalomma marginatum larvae from a laboratory-reared colony of Syrian specimens. Specimens with abnormalities were found among many thousands of larvae and analysed using scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, we analysed changes in the morphological traits (length and width of tarsi I and III; length and width of coxae I, II, and III) in abnormal specimens of H. marginatum larvae. Teratological changes were noted in the larval gnathosoma (reduction or elongation of chelicerae and change in the location of chelicerae on the basis capituli; abnormal shape and size of the palpal segment) and legs (fusion of four segments of adjacent legs and deformations of leg segments). The investigations have shown low variability of the morphometric traits of tarsi I and III as well as coxae I, II, and III in the H. marginatum larvae from the Syrian population, which can be used in the diagnostics of this species. Knowledge of different types of anomalies in tick larvae can prevent mistakes in identification of abnormal specimens collected in natural conditions.

Passalozetes (Passalozetes) africanus Grandjean, 1932 occurs widely in the Palaearctic Region. In the present paper, this species is described from specimens collected from Inner Mongolia, China, and Gafurov District, Tajikistan. Some morphological characters of these specimens are different from the original and subsequent descriptions as follows: rostral and lamellar setae finely barbed unilaterally; integument ridges of subcapitular mentum irregularly ranked and branched, not forming regularly bead-like structure anteriorly; distance g₃–g₄ larger than between other genital setae. A checklist and a key to all known species (except for P. karppineni Mikhaltzova, 1982) of the genus Passalozetes are also given.