Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are one of the most important ectoparasites of many kinds of terrestrial vertebrates. Between September 2019 and June 2021, we captured a total of 99 wild mammals belonging to 22 species, 14 genera, nine families, and four orders in order to investigate the presence of tick infestations from 14 different locations of 10 provinces in Turkey. Overall, 351 ticks (181 larvae, 156 nymphs, 6 females, and 8 males) were collected from 46 out of 99 wild mammalian species. Ticks were identified as Haemaphysalis erinacei Pavesi (5 males), Haemaphysalis parva Neumann (3 nymphs), Hyalomma marginatum gr. (16 nymphs), Ixodes kaiseri Arthur (1 nymph), Ixodes redikorzevi Olenev (167 larvae, 128 nymphs, and 2 females), Ixodes ricinus (L.) (12 larvae, 1 nymph, and 1 male), Ixodes trianguliceps Birula (2 larvae, and 4 nymphs), and Rhipicephalus turanicus Pomerantzev (3 nymphs, 4 females, and 2 males). Of which, I. trianguliceps was reported in Turkey for the first time. Furthermore, we reported many new tick-host associations for Turkey.

In the present study, two new species of oribatid mites, Oribotritia paragigas sp. nov. from Liaoning Province and Oribotritia mordagaensis sp. nov. from Great Khingan, are described. An identification key to all known Chinese species of the genus Oribotritia is provided.

To evaluate the predation potential of Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) reared on an artificial diet as a biological control agent for Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval), life table and functional response studies were performed. To identify alternative food sources for rearing N. californicus, we compared the nutritional values of the basal diet (composed of sucrose, yeast extract, honey, tryptone and egg yolk), meridic diet (add T. cinnabarinus on the basis of basal diet) and control (T. cinnabarinus). Further, the predation ability of N. californicus continuously reared for ten consecutive generations on a meridic diet to control T. cinnabarinus was assessed. The results showed that N. californicus fed the basal and meridic diets successfully completed development from eggs to adults, but they did not oviposit when fed the basal diet. The high fecundity (41.00 eggs per female) and intrinsic rate of increase (0.2357 d^-1) recorded in the meridic diet group suggests that it is a suitable diet for N. californicus rearing. Additionally, a functional response (type II) was observed in N. californicus reared on the meridic diet. We found that when the predator was reared on the meridic diet, the estimated maximum attack rate (T/T_h) associated with larvae was 58.67, which was only 13.94% lower than the control (68.17). The 10th generation of N. californicus did not lose the ability to capture and kill T. cinnabarinus when fed on meridic diet. In conclusion, N. californicus reared on the meridic diet containing T. cinnabarinus showed good predation ability; therefore, this diet may be beneficial for the mass production of N. californicus.

Ticks are blood-feeding obligate ectoparasites that belong to order Arachnida with three main families (Ixodidae, Argasidae, and Nuttalleillidae). Ticks transmit viral, bacterial, and zoonotic diseases in humans, and animals (wild and domestic). Ticks directly and indirectly affect the livestock industry which plays an important role in the rural economy of Pakistan. These are the main source of income and a source of food for poor people. The current study was conducted to identify the tick species infesting livestock in Dera Ismail Khan Pakistan. For this purpose, different farms were randomly visited and 130 ticks were collected from 200 scanned animals. The collected ticks were identified to species level using morphological keys. In the current study, four tick species were identified as Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Hyalomma marginatum, Hyalomma anatolicum, and Dermacentor marginatus were identified. The most dominant species were Hy. anatolicum (35.39%) followed by R. sanguineus (30.00%), Hy. marginatum (23.85%) and D. marginatus (10.77%). Hy. anatolicum was the predominant tick species and accounted for 35.39% of the ticks. Tick infestation was highest in buffaloes followed by cows, sheep, and goats. Tail and ear were the most preferable sites for tick infestation than other body parts.

Oribatid mite fauna of Vietnam is most studied among countries of Continental Southeast Asia but due to the brief history of detailed research, discoveries of new species are expected. Descriptions of two new species of oribatid mites (Oribatida) of the family Galumnidae—Flagellozetes (Cosmogalumna) sacculus sp. nov. and F. (C.) lineatus sp. nov.—are presented based on specimens collected from rainforest soil of Bi Dup—Nui Ba National Park (southern Vietnam). F. (C.) sacculus sp. nov. differs from other species by the presence of saccules and rare diamond-shaped granules on pteromorphs. F. (C.) lineatus sp. nov. differs from F. (C.) ekaterinae (Ermilov & Friedrich, 2016) and F. (C.) dongnaiensis (Ermilov & Anichkin, 2013) by the presence of striate pteromorph, genital and anal plates, median pore, and centrodorsal part of notogaster ornamentation represented by neural ridges band.

Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) is one of the most studied mite families due to their use in biological control programs. The southwestern region of Mato Grosso State, Brazil remains poorly explored concerning its mite fauna. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conduct a survey of Phytoseiidae mites in the southwestern region of Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Samplings were carried out in three areas, representing the following: Amazon Forest (AF), Cerrado (CE) and Pantanal (PA) biomes. Five species of native plants commonly found throughout the areas were selected, as well as five others exclusive for each area. In total, five individuals from each plant species were collected. Thirty mite species belonging to 16 genera were recorded: AF (14 species), CE (15) and PA (23). The three most abundant species in this study belongs to the genus Amblyseius: A. acalyphus Denmark & Muma, A. aerialis (Muma) and A. chiapensis De Leon. In the AF the most abundant species were A. aerialis, A. chiapensis and Euseius concordis (Chant); in the CE were A. acalyphus, A. chiapensis and Typhlodromips furcus Lofego, Demite & Feres; lastly in the PA were A. acalyphus, A. aerialis and T. furcus. The plants which harbored the highest richness were common to the three biomes: Physocalymma scaberrimum Pohl (Lithraceae) (12), Cecropia pachystachya Trécul (Urticaceae) (11) and Siparuna guianensis Aubl. (Siparunaceae), (11). A new species, Amblyseius matogrossensis sp. nov., is described and illustrated.

In this study, we aimed to clarify the effect of predatory mites on controlling the rubber tree pest mite Eotetranychus sexmaculatus (Riley) and explored basic application of the biocontrol technology “using predatory mites to control pest mites” to rubber trees. We selected two commercial species with high predation capacity from five species of predatory mites for further field-release tests. The results showed that among the five predatory mite species, Phytoseiulus persimilis (Athias-Henriot) and Neoseiulus cucumeris (Oudemans) showed the highest and lowest daily average predation amounts on E. sexmaculatus, respectively, and that the commercial predatory mites Amblyseius swirskii (Athias-Henriot) and Neoseiulus barkeri (Hughes) were demonstrated relatively high predation capacities on E. sexmaculatus and represent the ideal species for field release. Additionally, we found that field release by a hanging release sachet was suitable for a low field-population density of pest mites, and that predatory mites could be released at a dose of one sachet per tree and/or every other row or every other tree according to the actual situation of the pest mites. If the field population of E. sexmaculatus is at the peak egg-laying period, the release of A. swirskii should be top priority, which will lead to high control efficiency within 2 to 3 weeks. In case of low field-population density of E. sexmaculatus or a rainy season, top priority should be given to the release of N. barkeri, which might lead to high control efficiency within 3 to 4 weeks. The results showed that the release of A. swirskii had a more fast-acting effect with a higher control efficiency than N. barkeri at the early stage of release, whereas N. barkeri exhibited a better release effect with greater persistence than A. swirskii at the late stage of release.

A new species viz. Raphignathus arcus sp. nov., collected from litter and soil under Cirsium vulgare (Asteraceae), Crataegus monogyna (Rosaceae), Hyparrhenia hirta (Poaceae), Juniperus oxycedrus (Cupressaceae), Olea europaea (Oleaceae), Quercus coccifera (Fagaceae), Rosa canina (Rosaceae) and Verbascum sp. (Scrophulariaceae) in Afyonkarahisar, Izmir and Manisa provinces (the Aegean region of Turkey), is illustrated and described based on the adult females. Notes on an abnormal female is also given.

Tick-borne diseases are on the rise globally; however, information is lacking about tick questing behavior. In this laboratory study, we explored tick preferences for stem type (plastic grass, wooden, and metal), questing height, and head orientation. Using 60 Amblyomma americanum adults over three 72-hour replicates, we determined that 21.7% of ticks quested at any given time and that ticks exhibited a strong preference to quest with their heads oriented downwards, irrespective of stem type. Individual ticks tended to quest on only one stem in this study, and a maximum of three. Nonetheless, ticks appeared to prefer questing on wooden and plastic grass stems over metal stems. We did not find an effect of time of day on tick questing rates. Increased understanding of tick questing behavior can improve vector control efforts.

Of the 35 species of Premicrodispus described, only P. adjacens (Mahunka, 1969a) was recorded in the Neotropical region, specifically from Brazil. In the present paper, we describe a new species of Premicrodispus (P.) Cross, 1965 (Acari: Heterostigmatina: Microdispidae) from Brazil. An identification key to the subgenera and species of Premicrodispus of the world is provided.

A supplementary diagnosis of the genus Primotydeus André, 1980 is presented together with a review of all the species. Three of them, Primotydeus talpae, P. festucae and P. giselae are figured and described as new for science. Another one, Oakvillea eglalea Momen et Sinha, 1991 is transferred to the genus Primotydeus and consequently transferred from the family Tydeidae, subfamily Tydeinae to the family Iolinidae, subfamily Tydaeolinae. Lastly, a key to the species of Primotydeus is given.

Chaetotaxy is an important character especially in mites and can be applied in species diagnosis, phylogenetics, ontogeny, and so on. Chaetotaxic ontogeny of Bdella was carried out through comparing both immature and adult descriptions of eight Bdella species, including a new species, B. xini sp. nov., from China. Based on these species, chaetotaxy changes in Bdella mainly focused on ventral hypostomal setae (vh), setae on palpal basifemur, aggenital setae (ag), genital setae (g), anal setae (ad) and leg setae.

Predatory mites represent important biological control agents and those belonging to the Phytoseiidae family are the most promising for the control of phytophagous mites and small insects. The control of key pests of tomato and other solanaceous crops, highlighting phytophagous mites, has been a challenge and the biological control constitutes a promising strategy. Prospecting predatory mites in wild host plants, natural environments as well as in agroecosystems is relevant because these non-crop and crop areas can serve as reservoirs for promising species for biological control programs. This study aimed to know the Phytoseiidae fauna associated with wild and cultivated solanaceous plants in a poorly prospected area in Brazil, the Central-West Region. A detailed taxonomic identification of phytoseiid mites was conducted, and the most important morphological traits are presented for each species. In addition, associated phytophagous mites mainly belonging to the Tetranychidae, Tenuipalpidae and Eriophyoidea were identified. Surveys were carried out in 23 species of solanaceous collected in the Distrito Federal (12 areas) and Goiás State (1 area), from February 2017 to January 2018. Nineteen species of predators belonging to ten genera were recorded: Amblyseius (2 species), Euseius (3), Galendromus (1), Iphiseiodes (1), Neoseiulus (3), Paraphytoseius (1), Phytoseius (3), Proprioseiopsis (2), Typhlodromalus (2, one probably new to science) and Typhlodromips (1). Solanum lycocarpum was the solanaceous that harbored the highest richness (11 species), as well as the one with the highest abundance of phytoseiids (250 specimens). Typhlodromalus aripo was the most common species, being the most abundant (423 specimens; 32%) and registered on the largest number of hosts (14). Many of phytoseiid species found present morphological traits that facilitate their occurrence in leaves with trichomes, as in the case of tomato and other cultivated solanaceous. These traits and the association between predators and phytophagous mites may indicate that these species are promising for biological control programms. Thus, extensive studies to assess the efficiency of the identified predatory mites to control key solanaceous pests are required.

The cladistic classification of Phthiracaroidea (Niedbała 1986) and Euphthiracaroidea (Mahunka 1990) (Acari, Oribatida), based on morphological symplesio- and synapomorphic characters has been subjected to verification by molecular analysis of mitochondrial COI and nuclear ITS2, 18S and 28S DNA regions. Twenty-one selected species from representative genera of both superfamilies were analyzed. The phylogenetic trees generated by maximum likelihood method confirm the classification of ptyctimous mites resulting from the analysis of morphological characters. Mesoplophoridae, representing the supercohorts Enarthronota, were placed separately to the clade Mixonomata containing Phthiracaroidea and Euphthiracaroidea that are in a sister relationship. The percentage of genetic divergence between the main clades is high in three markers (COI, ITS2 and 28S), it ranges from 36.8% to 38.7% in the barcode marker COI from 26.0% to 35.4% in ITS2 and from 16.2% to 30.0% in 28S, while in 18S it is very low (1.1% - 3.3%). In the Phthiracaroidea, two sister clades Steganacaridae and Phthiracaridae are distinguished. Steganacaridae include three clades Atropacarus, Hoplophthiracarus and Steganacarus with Steganacarus and Tropacarus as the sister clades. Closely related S. (T.) carinatus and S. (T.) pulcherrimus are separate species. Within the Euphthiracaroidea, the four clades: Mesotritia, Microtritia, Acrotritia and Euphthiracarus are resolved. Mesotritia is the most distant, and Microtritia and Acrotritia show the closest relationship.

Description of a new species of oribatid mite (Oribatida) of the genus Cultrobates (Ceratokalummidae)—C. lehmanni sp. nov.—is presented, based on materials collected from upper soil and leaf litter in the primary evergreen lowland rainforest of Amazonian Peru. Summarized generic traits, distribution and habitats of all known species of Cultrobates are presented. An identification key to known Ceratokalummidae species is provided.

The spider mite Tetranychus neocaledonicus André (Acari: Tetranychidae) is a potential threat to the cultivation of lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.). In many countries, lima beans are grown by small-holder farmers with limited access to inputs and technologies. In such systems, the implementation of control practices, such as chemical treatments that require costly equipment and supplies, becomes unviable. Therefore, the development and use of resistant plant genotypes could provide a promising alternative for small producers. Accordingly, the present study aimed to identify and evaluate T. neocaledonicus-resistant genotypes of lima bean. A total of 30 lima bean genotypes were evaluated using the instantaneous increase rate (r_i) of T. neocaledonicus reared on individual host genotypes, and T. neocaledonicus fertility life tables were generating by rearing mites on host genotypes with the two highest r_i values (IFCE-085 and IFCE-091, considered highly susceptible) and two lowest r_i values (IFCE-084 and IFCE-090, considered resistant). Only the IFCE-090 genotype adversely affected immature T. neocaledonicus individuals, by reducing their survival rate, net reproductive rate (R_o), finite rate of increase (λ), and intrinsic rate of increase (r_m) and by increasing their mean generation time (T) and time to reach adulthood. The results demonstrate the variation in the susceptibility of lima bean genotypes to T. neocaledonicus and identify the IFCE-090 genotype as a potential source of mite resistance.