The present study is based on oribatid mite (Oribatida) materials collected from Menagesha Suba State Forest and Borena National Park (Oromia region, central and southern Ethiopia). A list of 65 species belonging to 45 genera and 32 families is presented; new records for the Ethiopian and Afrotropical fauna are provided. Two new species—Aleurodamaeus westshewaensis Ermilov sp. nov. (Aleurodamaeidae) and Diplobodes borenaensis Ermilov sp. nov. (Carabodidae)—are described; A. westshewaensis differs from the related species A. angelae in body size, the length of the notogastral setae, the location of the aggenital and adanal setae, and number of setae on the leg tarsus IV; D. borenaensis differs from the related species D. superbus in body size, the surface of the prodorsum and notogaster, the morphology of the translamella, and the notogaster form.

Three new Rhyncaphytoptus species of eriophyoid mites from China are described and illustrated. They are Rhyncaphytoptus hirtus sp. nov. on Acer tataricum L. (Sapindaceae), Rhyncaphytoptus mudanjiangianus sp. nov. on Acer caudatum subsp. ukurundense (Trautv. & C.A.Mey.) E.Murray (Sapindaceae), and Rhyncaphytoptus emeishanianus sp. nov. on Combretum indicum (L.) DeFilipps (Combretaceae). All new species are vagrants on the lower leaf surface. No apparent symptom to the host was observed.

The callunae species group of Stigmaeus (Acari: Stigmaeidae) is created for 14 species. The female and male of S. crypticus sp. nov. are described from Western Siberia and Ural. The female of Stigmaeus callunae Evans, female and male of S. macroposbus Liang and Hu are recorded from Russia for the first time and redescribed based on material from Russia. Stigmaeus burjaticus Khaustov is considered a suspected junior synonym of S. longisetosus Liang and Hu; S. boshroyehensis Khanjani et al. and S. ayyildizi Dönel and Doğan are suspected junior synonyms of S. creber Barilo; S. pseudoangustus Stathakis et al. is suspected to be a junior synonym of S. angustus Dönel and Doğan. A preliminary phylogenetic analysis based on COI sequences is conducted for the first time on 21 Palaearctic species of Stigmaeus. A key to species of callunae species group is also provided.

A new species of the genus Adactylidium Cross, 1965 is described and illustrated based on recently collected material from surface soil litter in Uganda. The systematic position of the species and the quality of some diagnostic features are discussed.

Biological control of tetranychid mites on various agricultural crops is mainly conducted using phytoseiid mites. Specialised (type-I) phytoseiids are more effective in controlling phytophagous populations but generalist predators (type-II and III) can be more competitive in some field conditions. In the present work, biological, demographic and predation parameters of the native type-I Phytoseiulus persimilis and the alien type-II Neoseiulus idaeus, naturally coexisted in Sicilian crops, are compared in laboratory trials.

Both phytoseiids showed the same short postembryonic development (≈4.5 days) and similar duration of the oviposition period (23.2 and 19.3 days for P. persimilis and N. idaeus respectively). However, the latter species showed a longer lifespan (50.9 days) but a lower reproduction activity (44.5 eggs/female) in comparison to the specialised P. persimilis (58.6 eggs/female).

The demographic parameters of P. persimilis were better than those of N. idaeus but the latter species showed a good performance too. The predation ability of N. idaeus was higher during the postembryonic development but the situation inverted during the adulthood. Both unmated and mated females of P. persimilis preyed more Tetranychus urticae eggs than N. idaeus ones.

However, the conversion index (eggs laid/preyed eggs) was higher in the latter species indicating it as more competitive at low T. urticae population densities.

This study shows that N. idaeus has all the necessary characteristics to effectively control two-spotted spider populations.

This paper describes a new mite species, Scutopalus dinghuensis Chen & Jin sp. nov., based on females and males from Gungdong Province, China. A key to adult females of the genus Scutopalus from China is given.

In this study, we report the complete mitogenome of Eupelops contaminatus Choi, 1986 (Acari, Oribatida, Phenopelopidae) for the first time. The 14,118 bp mitogenome contains 13 protein- coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and a non-coding region (AT-rich region). Evolutionary analysis of all PCGs based on the non-synonymous/synonymous substitution rate ratio (ω) indicated that cox1 and atp8 exhibited the lowest and highest evolutionary rates, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 13 PCGs of mitogenomes indicated that E. contaminatus is sister to Eupelops sp. (LC817331), while they differ in gene arrangement. This study offers insights into the mitogenomic basis of Eupelops species and provides an important data resource for exploring the taxonomy, phylogeny, and evolution of oribatid mites.

The bulb mite, Rhizoglyphus robini, is a significant pest of crops like saffron, leading to economic losses. This study evaluated the fumigant toxicity of 26 essential oils (EOs) against R. robini as a potential pest management strategy and examined their impact on the beneficial predatory mite Gaeolaelaps aculeifer. Adult females of R. robini were exposed to EO-impregnated filter papers at a concentration of 7.64 mg/L for 48 hours. Thirteen oils caused over 40% mortality, with four oils showing high toxicity (LC₅₀ < 100 mg/L). Foeniculum vulgare was the most toxic, followed by Mentha pulegium, Anethum graveolens, and Heracleum persicum, with significant toxicity also noted in R. robini larvae. The impact on G. aculeifer was minimal, indicating these oils can selectively control R. robini without harming beneficial predators. Enzyme inhibition assays showed that F. vulgare strongly disrupted detoxification enzymes in R. robini, particularly cytochrome P450s in larvae. Optimized concentrations of these EOs, especially F. vulgare, could effectively manage R. robini while minimizing effects on predatory mites.

Thaitrombidium calomerium Hakimitabar & Saboori sp. nov. (Acari: Prostigmata: Neothrombiidae), collected as an ectoparasite on Calomera fischeri (Adams, 1817) (Coleoptera: Cicindellidae) from Taleghan City, Alborz province, Iran, is described and illustrated based on morphological characters of the larvae. This is the first report of Thaitrombidium since 1998 when two species were described. The host is the first time recorded for the genus. Also, we redefine Thaitrombidium based on new data and present a key to species of Thaitrombidium.