Persian Journal of Acarology

Abstract The phytoseiid mite Flagroseius euflagellatus (Karg) is redescribed based on female and male specimens collected on Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr. in Cat Tien National Park, Southern Vietnam, representing the first record of the species from the country. Previous descriptions are incomplete and contain inaccuracies in leg chaetotaxy and cheliceral dentition. We provide a comprehensive redescription with detailed illustrations and measurements of both sexes, and documenting previously overlooked morphological structures, including the complete setation patterns of all leg segments.

Abstract The present study was conducted to explore the diversity of edaphic mesostigmatid fauna in Muthanga range of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, India during August 2022 to March 2023. The results revealed the occurrence of 21 species of mesostigmatid mites belonging to nine families. The most abundant species belonged to genus Stratiolaelaps Berlese, 1916 (relative abundance: 18.3) of the family Laelapidae. The mite diversity was measured using the Shannon-Wiener and Simpson′s diversity indices. The Shannon-Wiener index was 2.67 and Shannon equitability index was 0.88. The Simpson's diversity index was 0.08 and Simpson's dominance index was 0.92. The study also notes the influence of soil parameters like pH, soil temperature, organic carbon, total available nitrogen and soil texture on the abundance of mesostigmatid mites in the study area. A negative correlation was observed between soil pH and mite abundance (r = –0.604), whereas soil organic carbon (r = +0.358) and total nitrogen (r = +0.55) showed positive correlations with mite abundance. Soil temperature exhibited no significant relationship with mite abundance (r = +0.069). Chi-square test revealed a highly significant variation in abundance among different soil types (χ² = 329.25, df = 4, p < 0.001). The present study highlights significant association between mite abundance and soil texture, along with the positive effects of organic carbon and total nitrogen and the negative influence of soil pH, indicating that edaphic factors play a crucial role in distribution of mesostigmatid mite communities.

Abstract Neoseiulus barkeri (Hughes) is a common predatory mite in the Middle East region. In the present study, the development and biological parameters of N. barkeri when preyed on Rhyncaphytoptus ficifoliae Keifer or Aceria ficus (Cotte) mite pests were investigated. The predatory mite successfully developed on R. ficifoliae and A. ficus. The pre-adult duration of N. barkeri individuals fed on A. ficus (9.24 days) was shorter than that of those reared on R. ficifoliae (10.35 days). Conversely, the egg production of N. barkeri females reared on R. ficifoliae (35.53 eggs/♀) was inferior compared to those fed on A. ficus (44.12 eggs/♀). Neoseiulus barkeri individuals reared on R. ficifoliae showed considerably lower values of intrinsic (r) and finite rates of increase (λ) (r = 0.141 day⁻¹, λ = 1.151 day⁻¹) compared to those preyed on A. ficus (r = 0.165 day⁻¹, λ = 1.179 day⁻¹). Our results suggest that N. barkeri could be considered as a potential biocontrol agent for controlling these pests.

Abstract The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), is a major agricultural pest, and the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot is one of its most effective natural enemies. Since temperature strongly influences predator biology, in the present study, the effects of five constant temperatures (21, 23, 25, 27, and 29 °C) on the development, survival, and reproduction of P. persimilis using age-stage and two-sex life table analysis were evaluated. Developmental time decreased with increasing temperature, while reproductive onset occurred earlier at warmer conditions. Maximum fecundity, net reproductive rate (R0 = 14.62), and intrinsic rate of increase (r = 0.35) were recorded at 25–27 °C, indicating an optimal range for population growth. However, adult longevity and reproductive performance sharply declined at 29°C, suggesting heat stress limitations. These results confirmed that P. persimilis exhibits peak biological performance at moderate temperatures (24–27°C), reinforcing its suitability as a biocontrol agent under controlled environments but highlighting reduced efficiency under extreme heat. The findings provided practical insights for optimizing mass rearing and field release strategies within integrated pest management programs.

Abstract Investigating the potential effects of chemical pesticides on the biological performance of natural enemies is crucial for the successful implementation of integrated pest management programs. In the present study, the effects of low concentrations (LC10 = 5.14, LC20 = 12.55, and LC30 = 23.89 mg a.i./L) of bifenazate (Floramite® 24% SC) on the predation parameters of Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot feeding on larvae and protonymphs of Tetranychus urticae Koch were investigated under laboratory conditions. The results indicated that the appropriate time interval for releasing the predator after the application of bifenazate (LC30 = 23.89 mg a.i./L) was at least 48 hours, as no obvious effects on its survival and predation parameters were detected. Furthermore, exposure to the low concentrations had no carryover effects on the predation performance of the offsprings. The age-stage specific predation rate (cxj) increased with increasing age and stage of individuals and had the highest value for adult females, although its peak value decreased with increasing concentration. The values of net predation rate (C₀), finite predation rate (ω), transformation rate (Qp), and stable predation rate (ψ) in the subsequent generation were not significantly affected when the female predators were exposed to the different concentrations. These results indicate that the different low concentrations of bifenazate had no negative effects on the predation performance of P. persimilis and its offspring. Therefore, their combination may play an important role in the sustainable management of T. urticae.

Abstract The South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India is very rich in the cultivation of agri-horticultural crops, but nowadays the crop production yield is declining due to the attack of phytophagous mites. A survey was undertaken in selected localities of the South 24 Parganas to understand the diversity of mite fauna associated with agri-horticultural crops. A network approach was applied to determine some of the mite-plant network parameters such as specialization and nestedness. The present paper deals with a total of 39 species of plant mites (18 phytophagous, 19 predatory, and two fungal feeding groups) belonging to 19 genera and 10 families. The majority of the plants on which these mites were recorded formed new host/habitat records. Brevipalpus rica, Tetranychus ludeni, and T. macfarlanei were found important injurious mites, while Amblyseius largoensis and Paraphytoseius bhadrakaliensis were found abundantly as predators and had biocontrol importance. The study also showed that the phytophagous mites had greater sample diversity compared to predatory mites. The network analysis of mite-plant association revealed that mites form a highly specialized and less nested network with host plants. It was also observed that in this network, Phaseolus vulgaris has a mite hub-like role having high centrality values. This study may form a baseline of acarological studies in South Bengal area, which might be helpful in designing pest management strategies.

Abstract Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) bagdasarjani Wainstein & Arutunjan is an indigenous species naturally inhabiting mulberry and fig trees in urban regions. The current study was conducted to evaluate possible effects of four host plants including cucumber, tomato, eggplant, and watermelon on the functional response of T. bagdasarjani feeding on different densities (2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and 128) of immature stages (larva + protonymph) of Tetranychus urticae Koch. The experiments were conducted under laboratory conditions at 25 ± 1 ℃, 60 ± 5% RH, and a photoperiod of 16:8 (L:D) h. The logistic regression revealed type II functional response on the tomato, eggplant, and watermelon and a type III one on the cucumber. The handling time (T_h) and searching efficiency (a) were estimated using the Rogers equation. The highest and lowest values of T_h in the type II functional response were recorded on the watermelon (0.927 ± 0.061 h) and eggplant (0.632 ± 0.085 h), respectively. Accordingly, the highest and lowest values of searching efficiency in this type of functional response were obtained on the watermelon (0.055 ± 0.009 h⁻¹) and eggplant (0.028 ± 0.005 h⁻¹), respectively. The maximum predation rate (T/T_h) was recorded on the eggplant (37.963 prey/day). On the cucumber, the value estimated for the handling time was 1.341 ± 0.079 h. The maximum predation rate on this host plant was estimated to be 17.90 prey/day. In conclusion, our findings revealed effects of different host plants on the functional response of T. bagdasarjani showing that this species may be more effective in suppressing the population of T. urticae on the cucumber.

Abstract Phytoseiid mites play a crucial role in biological control programs. Developing efficient mass-rearing techniques for these mites is essential to enhance their applicability in large-scale management programs. This study aimed to develop and validate a simple mass-rearing protocol for the continuous production of generalist phytoseiid mites (Amblyseius swirskii, Neoseiulus californicus, and Neoseiulus barkeri). The rearing system consisted of a Petri dish placed on a water-saturated sponge in a plastic box containing water. Mites were fed a mixture of cattail pollen, rice husk, and Tyrophagus putrecentiae mites which were introduced into the rearing units three times a week. The prey mite was maintained in a similar system using yeast granules and rice husk as food. Population growth of the predatory mites was observed over an 8-week period under controlled laboratory conditions (25 ± 1 °C, 65 ± 5% RH, and 16L:8D photoperiod). The results showed that all three species successfully grew and overpopulated in the 6^th week, with 380.2 ± 16.7, 211.4 ± 12.9, and 283.9 ± 18.6 adult females of A. swirskii, N. californicus, and N. barkeri, respectively, being produced. These values represent increases of 38, 21.1, and 28.3 times their respective initial population densities. A gradual decline in the phytoseiids population was observed in each unit following the sixth week. This suggests that the sixth week serves as a suitable time frame for subdividing the rearing units to maintain optimal population levels. The proposed rearing protocol turned out to be useful for the continuous production of the three test species, providing optimal conditions for population growth while preventing mites from escaping the box. This protocol offers a practical solution for the commercial mass production of generalist phytoseiids.

Abstract Mites of Raphignathoidea are important natural enemies of some small pests like phytophagous mites and some insects in various ecosystems. Fauna of this superfamily was studied in Lorestan province, Iran, during 2019–2020. In this survey, a total of 20 species belonging to seven genera from three families were collected and identified. Among them, Raphignathus evidus Fan is re-described and recorded as new to Iranian mite's fauna.

Abstract Diet is an important component of mass-production system of bio-control agents. Thus, using a non-prey diet (such as plant pollen) instead of natural prey could be more cost-effective in mass-production of phytoseiid predatory mites. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the multigenerational effect of maize, Zea mays L. (Poaceae), pollen diet on life table parameters of Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot and Cydnoseius negevi (Swirski & Amitai) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) reared for one, five and 11 consecutive generations. The predatory mites A. swirskii and C. negevi successfully completed their development on maize pollen for up to 11 generations. In G1, oviposition days, adult longevity, and fecundity showed significantly higher values in the case of C. negevi as compared to A. swirskii. Despite statistically similar oviposition days in the G11, A. swirskii females (44.43 eggs/♀) deposited significantly more eggs than those of C. negevi (40.60 eggs/♀). There were no significant differences in finite rate of increase (λ), intrinsic rate of increase (r), net (R₀) and gross (GRR) reproductive rates between the two predatory mites in G1 and G5 (P ≥ 0.05). In G11, individuals of C. negevi had significantly higher values of r (0.181 day⁻¹) and λ (1.198 day⁻¹) compared to those of A. swirskii (r = 0.159 day⁻¹, λ = 1.173 day⁻¹). However, there were no significant differences in R₀ and GRR values between A. swirskii (R₀ =34.18 offspring, GRR = 39.75 offspring) and C. negevi (R₀ = 31.23 offspring, GRR = 35.44 offspring) in G11. In conclusion, maize pollen has a great potential as a suitable and cost-effective diet for developing the mass-production system of A. swirskii and C. negevi on non-prey diets, where the performance of these predators remained to some extent constant across generations.

Abstract The mites of the genus Lasioseius Berlese in Iran are reviewed. New collection data on seven species of the genus are given for Guilan province in Northern Iran. Based on our observations of newly collected specimens, we confirm the synonymy of L. extremus (Daneshvar, 1987) with Lasioseius parberlesei Bhattacharyya as previously proposed by Moraes et al. (2015). In addition, we provide the first description of the male of L. parberlesei in Iran. Moreover, this paper provides a checklist for Lasioseius species recorded from Iran, with a key for identification of the species.

Abstract Population fluctuation of the most abundant mite species inhabiting mango, Mangifera indica L. (Anacardiaceae), as one of the important fruit trees at Qalyubia governorate, Egypt was studied from August 2020 to September 2022. Results indicated the occurrence of 19 mite species from 18 genera in 10 families. Mango bud mite, Aceria mangiferae Sayed, mango rust mite, Metaculus mangiferae (Attiah) and tetranychid mite, Oligonychus mangiferus (Rahman & Sapra) have become important pests on “Naomi” mango cultivar. While, the mango leaf coating mite, Aceria aegyptindicae Elhalawany, Amrine & Ueckermann and Cisaberoptus kenyae Keifer are important pests on “Heidi” cultivar. Aceria mangiferae has two peaks (in mid and late November, and late May and early-June) on buds of “Naomi” cultivar during the two successive seasons. Metaculus mangiferae has two peaks on leaves (in mid-October and late May) in the first season and (in late November and May) in the second season. Oligonychus mangiferus was recorded in high numbers in spring and autumn on “Naomi” cultivar during the two collection seasons. Aceria aegyptindicae and C. kenyae have two peaks (in late November and mid-February) in the first season, and (in early December and late April) in the second season on “Heidi” cultivar. Predacious mites are following their associated phytophagous prey with a lag in time. The population of phytophagous mites was significantly affected by combined weather factors and plant age than weather factors alone. Results indicated ‘Heidi’ is resistant to infestation with A. mangiferae, and susceptible to both A. aegyptindicae and C. kenyae. However, ‘Naomi’ is susceptible to the first pest and resistant to latter two pests. The changes in the nutritional value of the host plant are more effective on mite population fluctuation than weather factors.

Abstract A new species of the genus Stigmaeus Koch, 1836 (Acari: Trombidiformes: Stigmaeidae), S. lorestaniensis sp. nov. is described and illustrated. This new species was collected from soil and litter under apricot tree, Prunus armeniaca L. (Rosaceae) in Lorestan province, southwest Iran.

Abstract The suitability of eight pollen diets (wild almond, date palm, oak, pomegranate, pistachio, peach, damask rose, and walnut) and also Tetranychus urticae Koch as natural diet on life table of the Amblyseius swirskii (Phytoseiidae) was determined at 25 ± 1 °C, 60 ± 5% relative humidity and photoperiod of 16:8 h (L: D). Results showed that damask rose pollen was not accepted as food and did not support the development of A. swirskii beyond the protonymphal and deutonymphal stage. The highest and lowest values of the intrinsic rate of increase (r) and finite rate of increase (λ) belonged to the pistachio (0.192 and 1.212 day⁻¹) and peach (0.022 and 1.023 day⁻¹) pollen, respectively. The net reproductive rate (R₀) values varied from 1.4 offspring for the peach pollen to 29.54 offspring for the pistachio. Furthermore, the highest and lowest fecundity rate was recorded on the pistachio (36.65 eggs/female) and peach (3.23 eggs/female) pollen, respectively. Measured life table parameters of A. swirskii reared on different diets revealed pistachio, and after that, date palm and pomegranate pollen grains to be the most suitable diets. These findings may introduce more suitable pollen diets for the rearing of this predatory mite.

Abstract Odontoscirus iota Atyeo, 1960 is reported here for the first time from Iran. An additional description is provided for O. iota based on adult females collected from East Azerbaijan province, northwest of Iran. An updated key to the species of Odontoscirus from Iran is presented.

Abstract Until now, Favognathus insularis (Luxton, 1973) has been only known from the Niue Island. In recent surveys conducted in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, a second record of this species was provided. It is redescribed here based on the adult females. Also, an identification key to known species of Favognathus is provided.

Abstract In this study, 18 species from six families were collected from Lorestan Province. Cyta kreiteri Barber & Ueckermann, 2017 was recorded for the first time from Iran. 

Abstract Two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) and silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hem.: Aleyrodidae) are among the most destructive pests under greenhouse conditions which is primirarily countered using chemical pesticides. Due to insecticidal and acaricidal effectiveness of Spiromesifen (Oberon^®), agricultural producers extensively used this chemical to control both whitefly and spider mite populations. In the present study, effects of recommended concentration of Spiromesifen on some biological and behavioral attributes of predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) feeding on different ratios of two-spotted spider mite and silverleaf whitefly were investigated. Different treatments were defined as 1 (150 immature stages of mite + 0 immature stages of whitefly), 2 (120 mite + 30 whitefly), 3 (90 mite + 60 whitefly), 4 (75 mite + 75 whitefly), 5 (60 mite + 90 whitefly), 6 (30 mite + 120 whitefly) and 7 (0 mite + 150 whitefly). According to the results, mortality percentage of adult individuals was not significantly affected by different ratios of prey. With increasing ratio of preys tested in experimental arena, feeding activity of predatory mite on both preys was increased. However, in the case of T. urtice, linear relation observed between the initial number of mite offered and number of mite eaten was more significant. Reproductive responses of female predators to different ratios of mixed preys had no specified trend. Furthermore, switching behavior was not detected in female predators. Our results have considerable role for increasing biological efficacy of A. swirskii in integrated management programs of different pests.

Abstract A new species of the genus Eustigmaeus (Acari: Stigmaeidae), E. vietnamiensis sp. nov. is described from the bark of fig tree (Ficus sp.) in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam. The mite family Stigmaeidae is recorded from Vietnam for the first time.

Abstract A new species of Cunaxoides, C. shahriari Bagheri, Paktinat-Saeij and Castro sp. nov., is described from soil, humus and moss from northern Iran. A key to the Cunaxoides species of the Iran is also provided.

Abstract Adult females of Favognathus orbiculatus (Livshitz) and females, male and protonymph of Neophyllobius astragalusi Khanjani & Ueckermann are redescribed. Also, F. acaciae Doğan & Ayyildiz is reported for the first time from Iran.

Abstract Male competition to fertilize the eggs of females would result in conflicts between the members of one sex and evolution of secondary behavioral and morphological characters. Here, we investigated the effect of previous mating experience, territoriality and age on the male mating combat and precedence in two phytoseiid species; Phytoseiulus persimilis and Neoseiulus californicus. Our results showed that naïve P. persimilis males, which had not experienced mating before the experiment, were mostly the ones who were able to mate with the females first. In N. californicus, previous experience did not have any significant effect on the male behavior. Both naïve and experienced males were able to mate females equally. Territoriality had no significant effect on male mating competition, in either P. persimilis, or N. californicus. We suggested that phytoseiid predatory mites might differ in phenotypical mating behave-iors, so that although they actively defended their mating territory, the consequences of their variation in phenotypical mating strategies led to a non-significant territoriality. The effect of age on male competing behavior was remarkable both in P. persimilis and N. californicus. P. persimilis younger males precede the elders in mating with females while in N. californicus, the older males were the ones who mated with the females first. The effects of female re-mating opportunity, the male phenotypical behavior, and spermatophore storage on male competing behavior are discussed.

Abstract A new species of Eustigmaeus, E. caspianensis Bagheri & Paktinat Saeej sp. nov., is described based on females collected from soil, humus and moss in the Mazandaran and Golestan provinces, Iran.

Abstract A new species of the genus Stigmaeus, S. hashtrudiensis Bagheri & Maleki sp. nov., collected from soil and rotten leaves under apple, is described and illustrated.

Abstract A new species of the genus Eryngiopus, E. hamedanicus Khanjani, Mohammadi & Nazari sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on females collected from soil under pear trees, Negarkhaton Village, Famenin town, Hamedan province, Iran.