This paper describes two new species and one newly recorded species of the genus Neumania, i.e. N. heterocrus Ding & Jin sp. nov., N. absentiuos Ding & Jin, sp. nov., and N. vietnamicaTuzovsky, 2013, from Jiangxi and Hunan provinces, China. Neumania heterocrus can be distinguished by the sexual dimorphism in leg IV. Neumania absentiuos can be distinguished by P-1 without seta and genital plates close to Cx-IV. Neumania vietnamica can be distinguished by the different swimming setae in leg IV. A key to the members of Neumania form China is provided. The examined specimens are kept in Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, P. R. China (GUGC).

In almost all aerobic organisms, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) is considered as an important antioxidant enzyme regulating oxidative stress. Tetranychus cinnabarinus is an economically important polyphagous pest mite, which harms a variety of economic crops and ornamental plants. In the present study, the full-length cDNA sequences of cytoplasmic Cu/ZnSOD (TcSOD1), extracellular Cu/ZnSOD (TcSOD2) and mitochondrial MnSOD (TcSOD3) from T. cinnabarinus were cloned by combining RT-PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The corresponding open reading frames (ORFs) encode three putative polypeptides of 152, 232, 225 amino acid residues, respectively. These sequences share the conserved SOD functional domains, signature motifs and metal binding sites. Multiple alignment analysis revealed that cytosolic Cu/ZnSOD and mitochondrial MnSOD sequences are relatively conserved, while extracellular Cu/ZnSODs are more diverse.Phylogenetic analysis showed that SODs are organized into two major clades, corresponding to Cu/ZnSODs, and MnSODs. Cu/ZnSODs are subdivided into two branches, one being composed of cytoplasmic Cu/ZnSODs, and the other corresponding to extracellular Cu/ZnSODs. Expression profiles of the three genes were determined at different temperatures (4°C, 25°C, and 40°C) for 2 hours. The relative expression of TcSOD1, TcSOD2, and TcSOD3 were significantly down-regulated (0.344-, 0.287-, and 0.358-fold, respectively) at 4°C compared to 25°C (P<0.05). The relative expression levels of TcSOD1 and TcSOD2 genes were significantly down-regulated at 40°C (0.481- and 0.291-fold less than in the control group, respectively) (P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in the relative expression level of TcSOD3(P>0.05). Moreover, expression levels were altered after exposition to different acaricides. TcSOD1, TcSOD2, and TcSOD3 were significantly down-regulated (0.450-, 0.147- and 0.663-fold decreases, respectively) in the abamectin-treated group (P<0.05). TcSOD1 and TcSOD2 were down-regulated, in the fenpropathrin-treated group with 0.794- and 0.201-fold decreases, respectively. On the other hand, the expression of TcSOD3 was significantly increased (P<0.05), being 2.774-fold higher than in the control group. The expression of TcSOD2 was significantly down-regulated both the propargite- and cyflumetofen-treated groups (0.655- and 0.397-fold, respectively) (P<0.05). The data reported here indicate that SODs from T. cinnabarinus may play different and vital roles in anticipating the effects of oxidative damage at extreme temperatures and under different acaricides stress.

Agistemus lobatus Ehara, 1964 and A. terminalis (Quayle, 1912) (Stigmaeidae) are cosmopolitan predatory mites and appear on various plants in Japan. They are so close morphologically and can be mainly separated based on the lengths of dorsal setae sci and c2. The present study aimed to redescribe these two species for detailed morphological variations and generate sequences of partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) as DNA barcode data. Our results with DNA barcoding and morphology well separated A.lobatus from the close species A. terminalis.

Two new species of oribatid mites of the family Lohmanniidae are described from litter in the mixed forest of Zanzibar, Tanzania. Annectacarus tanzanicussp. nov. differs from Annectacarus vinalesensis Ermilov & Tolstikov, 2015 by body size, the number of neotrichal notogastral setae, porose parts on the notogaster and branches on bothridial setae, and the localization of rostral setae. Strinatacarus zanzibarensissp. nov. differs from Strinatacarus aelleniMahunka, 1977 by body surface and length of some notogastral setae. Tritonymphal instar of Annectacarus tanzanicussp. nov. is also described. An identification key to the known species of the genus Annectacarus from the Ethiopian region is presented.

New records of water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from the Uttarakhand State of India are presented. Four species, i.e. Torrenticola uttarakhandensis, T. chatterjeei (Torrenticolidae), Atractides indicus and Hygrobates dobriyali (Hygrobatidae) are described as new to science. The first description of the female and deutonymph of Sperchon indicusKumar, Kumar & Pešić, 2007 is given. Atractides cf. incertusLundblad, 1969 is reported as new for the fauna of India.

A new species of Antarctozetes (Oribatida, Ceratozetoidea) is described from the soil in New Zealand based on adult morphology. Antarctozetes mariehammeraesp. nov. differs from Antarctozetes intermedius (Hammer, 1967) by the short rostral setae, very short stalks of bothridial setae, and bidentate lamellar cusps. A revised generic diagnosis is given, Antarctozetes is maintained in Punctoribatidae, although knowledge of juvenile instars is lacking. The relationship of Antarctozetes, Anellozetes, Africoribates and Kilimabates is discussed. Data on habitat and an identification key to known species of Antarctozetes in New Zealand are provided.

A new diagnosis of the Trichouropodellidae fam. nov. and the genus Trichouropodella Hirschmann & Zirngiebl-Nicol are given with the description of T. nemenyiisp. nov. discovered in a bamboo bush in Paraguay. The new species differs from the congeners in the shape of setae close to posterior margin of female genital shield and in the shape of setae posterior to the preanal line. All species of Trichouropodella are listed together with a new key to the known species. A comparative table for the three closely related families Nenteriidae, Trematuridae and Trichouropodellidae is presented.

The tick Dermacentor everestianus is widely distributed on the Tibetan Plateau of China, where adult ticks usually parasitize sheep, yaks and horses. D. everestianus is able to transmit many zoonotic pathogens, including Francisella tularensis, Anaplasma ovis and Rickettsia raoultii-like bacteria, and can cause great damage to animals and human health. However, the symbionts in D. everestianus have not yet been investigated, which has hindered our understanding of the relationships between this tick species and associated tick-borne pathogens. In the current study, the Rickettsia-like and Coxiella-like symbionts in D. everestianus were identified and characterized. The results indicated that both Rickettsia-like (RLS-Des) and Coxiella-like (CLS-Des) symbionts showed 100% infection rates and displayed vertical transmission in D. everestianus. The RLS-Des showed a relatively higher abundance than the CLS-Des in D. everestianus. No tissue specificity was found for the RLS-Des or CLS-Des. These symbionts can inhabit the ovaries, salivary glands, midguts, Malpighian tubules and testes of D. everestianus. During the development of D. everestianus, the density of the RLS-Des showed more obvious changes than did that of the CLS-Des. Dramatic changes in the density of the RLS-Des were detected in the midguts, ovaries, salivary glands and Malpighian tubules when female D.everestianus were engorged and detached from the host, which suggested the potential role of these symbionts in the reproduction and development of D. everestianus. The dynamic changes in the density of the CLS-Des during feeding and reproduction of D. everestianus suggest the involvement of the CLS-Des in the reproduction of D. everestianus.

A new species of oribatid mites of the family Galumnidae (Acari, Oribatida) is described from Samoa; Pergalumna enricoi sp. nov. differs from Pergalumna foveolata Hammer, 1973 by the elongate oval, transversely oriented notogastral porose areas Aa and heavily tuberculate prodorsum. An identification key to the known species of the genus Pergalumna from the Australian region is presented. A list of oribatid mite taxa of the Samoan Islands, including 77 species/subspecies from 56 genera and 29 families, is provided.

A new species, Adamystis saboorii sp. nov. (Trombidiformes: Prostigmata: Adamystidae) is described based on adult females from Maragheh city, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. The new species can be distinguished from other species by the following features: three pairs of adoral setae; chelicera with two setae; idiosoma with reticulated dorsal shield; lateral lens-like structures absent, three pairs of aggenital setae (ag1–3) on divided coxisternal shield and two setae (ag_4–5) on a large reticulated shield. Also, an identification key to known species of Adamystis is updated.

A new vagrant phyllocoptine species, Phyllocoptes bilobospinosusn. sp. (Eriophyidae, Phyllocoptinae), found on tamarisks (Tamarix tetrandra Pallas, T. smyrnensis Bunge, T. ramossisima Ledeb) in Donbass (Ukraine), Crimea, and USA is described based on conventional light microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Apart from two distinct areas of ventral cuticle bearing large, spike-like microtubercles, the new species possesses a thin translucent supracapitular plate (situated below the frontal lobe of the prodorsal shield), a short longitudinal ventral ridge anterior to the anal lobes, and unusual internal tube-like structures associated with the rectum. Careful examination of purposefully made slide mounts of partially cleared specimens revealed that adults of P. bilobospinosus possess a complex of structures associated with the rectum, including a hypertrophied, four-lobed putative anal gland and four thin tubes connected with a rectal sac. Similar tubular structures previously described in aberoptine mites of the genus Aberoptus from Brazilian Cesalpiniaceae are discussed. The synonymy of genera Aberoptus Keifer and Aceria Keifer is rejected and a new combination, Aberoptus inusitatus (Britto & Navia (in Britto et al. 2008)) n. comb., is proposed. A brief review of the anal glands of Eriophyoidea is given, including a discussion on homology and the variety of forms of the anal secretory apparatus among eriophyoid genera. Further research is needed on the anatomy of anal glands in Eriophyoidea, including transmission electron microscopy based histological analyses and additional studies of eriophyoids with well-developed secretory structures associated with the rectum. These methods will lead to a much better understanding of the evolution and homology of the anal secretory apparatus, which may render it useful for future phylogenetic studies.

Ticks are exclusive blood-feeding parasites that are of medical and veterinary importance. Ticks are also host for several maternally inherited symbiotic bacteria that are non-pathogenic bacteria and have potential roles in tick biology and the transmission of co-infecting pathogens. In order to gain a comprehensive view of these symbionts in ticks, we overviewed their incidence and biological importance within ticks based on available data. The symbionts in ticks are diverse, and their incidence and frequency vary across different tick species and different geographical populations of the same species. In some cases, symbionts of Coxiella, Francisella and Rickettsia genera may provide tick hosts essential nutrients absent from the exclusive food source of ticks and exhibit mutualistic relationships with their hosts. However, most symbionts are facultative and affect the biological phenotypes of their tick hosts through various ways. For some strains of Coxiella and Francisella, advanced genomic data and phylogenetic investigations have revealed their interactions with hosts and their evolutionary transitions of pathogenic and mutualistic forms. These findings are valuable for understanding tick-symbiont associations, and may help to develop new strategies to control ticks and tick-borne diseases.

In this study, we detected African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) in Dermacentor (Ixodidae) from sheep and bovines using small RNA sequencing. To validate this result, a 235-bp DNA segment was detected in a number of DNA samples from D. silvarum and sheep blood. This 235-bp segment had an identity of 99% to a 235-bp DNA segment of ASFV and contained three single nucleotide mutations (C38T, C76T and A108C). C38T, resulting in a single amino acid mutation G66D, suggests the existence of a new ASFV strain, which is different from all reported ASFV strains in the NCBI GenBank database and the ASFV strain (GenBank: MH713612.1) reported in China in 2018. To further confirm the existence of ASFV in Dermacentor ticks, three DNA segments of ASFV were detected in D. niveus females from bovines and their first generation ticks reared in our lab. These results also proved that transovarian transmission of ASFV occurs in hard ticks. This study revealed for the first time that ASFV has a wider range of hosts (e.g. sheep and bovines) and vectors (e.g. hard ticks), beyond the well-known Suidae family and Argasidae (soft ticks). Our findings pave the way toward further studies on ASFV transmission and the development of prevention and control measures.