Persian Journal of Acarology

Abstract Female of Neognathus beshtauiensis sp. nov. (Acari: Caligonellidae) is described from soil sample collected from the Beshtau mountain in Stavropol Krai of Northern Caucasus. Molothrognathus venustus (Khaustov & Kuznetsov) is recorded from Russia for the first time and its female and male are redescribed based on materials from the Tyumen Oblast of Russia.

Abstract The distribution and abundance of the species of Atrectides in Iran is significant and this genus is present in all provinces of the country. Atractides (Atractides) khuzestaniensis sp. nov. is described as new to science from one of the southern provinces. This is the thirty-second species of this genus from Iran.

Abstract A new gall-forming Aceriini mite, Aceria sadeghii sp. nov., was discovered and described in the Razavi Khorasan Province of Iran. It caused distortion on the upper side of the leaves without hypertrichosis on leaves of Krascheninnikovia ceratoides (L.) Güldenstädt (Amaranthaceae). This is the second eriophyoid species found on this host plant genus.

Abstract The list of 135 reported spider mite species (family Tetranychidae) belonging to two subfamilies, six tribes and 20 genera, from various parts of India has been enlisted here. This paper is aimed at compiling the data from published records, which could be useful for future reference as well as research purposes. A list of scientific names of the Indian tetranychid mite species with their synonyms and their distribution are provided in this paper.

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 This preliminary survey of house dust mites was carried out in two districts in Northern Kerala i.e., Malappuram and Kozhikkode. The study was conducted from December 2021 to November 2022. Collection of dust samples was done from a total of 160 houses, which were randomly selected 40 rural houses and 40 urban houses from each of the districts. A total of 6382 mites were collected from 147 houses. The most abundant species obtained from all the collected sites was the Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Trouessart) (67.69%) followed by the species Blomia tropicalis Bronswijk, Cock & Oshima (27.5%). Other species obtained were Sturnophagoides sp., Cheyletus eruditus (Schrank), Cheyletus malaccensis Oudemans, Glycycometus sp., Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank), Chortoglyphus arcuatus (Troupeau), Suidasia sp. The mean number of mites present in Malappuram and Kozhikode districts showed a statistically significant difference. Also, the mean number of mites present between urban houses and rural houses differed significantly. A statistical test (Fischer's exact test) was performed to analyze the influence of weather parameters, viz., temperature and relative humidity on the presence of mites in the surveyed houses revealed that the mite population is dependent on relative humidity and independent of temperature.

Abstract The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, is one of the most destructive bean pests in the central part of Iran. Spider mites feeding on bean leaves cause physiological changes in the plant, which coupled with favorable environmental conditions can lead to increased mite infestations. Significant yield loss can occur in the absence of pest monitoring and timely management. Monitoring for its occurrence and the population density is usually done by visual inspection and consequently demands much effort and time. Hence the objectives of this study were 1) to describe the sampling distribution pattern of this mite and 2) to develop a fixed-precision sequential sampling plan for density estimation. Population estimates were made by registering the number of all stages on 150 leaves of bean plants from mid to the end of July of 2021. Taylor's power law (TPL) was used to analyze the spatial distribution of the pest (r² = 0.849). Aggregation Indexes (b = 1.239) were significantly greater than one, indicating the aggregation of T. urticae. We used TPL parameters to develop a sequential sampling plan at precision levels of 0.10 and 0.25 using Green's method. Fixed-precision sequential sampling plan could represent a suitable method for sampling T. urticae population in bean fields in the Varamin area, with the practical advantage of lower cost and time consumption than standard sampling plans. The use of this plan outside the Varamin area can be applicable. In conclusion, the sequential sampling plans determined in this study for mites can be incorporated into integrated pest management programs in bean crops by making precise and quick decisions.

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 It is important to use standard parameters for assessing the biological performance of natural enemies in biological programs. The predation parameters of Typhlodromus bagdasarjani Wainstein & Arutunjan (Acari: Phytoseiidae) fed on the immature stages of the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), reared on four different host plants including cucumber (cultivar ʻNeginʼ), tomato (cultivar ʻIsabellaʼ), eggplant (cultivar ʻBellʼ) and watermelon (cultivar ʻCrimsonʼ) were determined under laboratory conditions at 25 ± 1 ℃, 60 ± 5% R.H. and a photoperiod of 16:8 (L:D) h. Predation data were analyzed using the CONSUME MSChart. The lowest and highest estimated values for the net predation rate (C₀) were recorded on eggplant (35.12 prey/individual) and tomato (95.87 prey/individual), respectively. The lowest transformation rate from prey population to predator offspring (Q_p) (12.76 prey/egg) was recorded on cucumber which was not significantly different from those obtained on the others. The highest value for the stable predation rate (ψ) was recorded on the cucumber (2.49 prey/predator) and the lowest amount was recorded on the watermelon (1.93 prey/predator). The finite predation rate (ω) for T. bagdasarjani on the above-mentioned host plants was 2.73, 2.61, 2.03, and 2.04 (day⁻¹), respectively. Our findings revealed the predation parameters of T. bagdasarjani fed on immature stages of T. urticae on four different host plants and will be helpful for its sustainable management in different agro-ecosystems.

Abstract The two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch, the date palm dust mite Oligonychus afrasiaticus (McGregor), and the citrus brown mite Eutetranychus orientalis (Klein) of family Tetranychidae are key pests of fruit trees, field crops, and ornamentals that cause significant yield losses. The purpose of this research was to assess the effect of three constant temperatures (22, 27, and 32 °C) on the developmental time, life-table parameters, and consumption rate of the predatory beetle Stethorus gilvifrons (Mulsant) on maize leaf disks with T. urticae, O. afrasiaticus, and E. orientalis as food. The results indicated a significant difference between the three different temperatures and prey types. The shortest developmental time was recorded on T. urticae (9.30 and 10.10 days) at 32 °C, while the longest was on E. orientalis (23.34 and 22.50) at 22 °C for females and males, respectively. The shortest female longevity was on E. orientalis (21.14 days) at 32 °C, and the longest was 39.12 days on T. urticae at 22 °C. The fecundity increased as temperature increased, from 114.6 eggs with a daily rate of 3.81 eggs per female/day at 22 °C to 235.0 eggs with a daily rate of 10.78 eggs per female/day at 32 °C on T. urticae. The highest net reproductive rate (R₀), intrinsic rate of natural increase (r_m), and finite rate of increase (λ) were recorded at 32 °C, whereas the lowest values were recorded at 22 °C when predatory beetles S. gilvifrons were fed on three prey diets. Gross reproduction rate (GRR) recorded the highest value (132.8 offspring/individual) when fed on T. urticae at 32 °C and the lowest value (55.30 offspring/ individual) when fed on E. orientalis at 22 °C. The highest consumption rate of adult males and females was 226.8 and 245.4 individuals when fed on O. afrasiaticus at 22 °C, while the lowest was 123.6 and 133.8 individuals on E. orientalis at 32 °C. Thus, the results obtained here revealed that temperature and prey diets influence the developmental rate and reproduction of S. gilvifrons. Additionally, T. urticae is better for mass rearing of S. gilvifrons than O. afrasiaticus and E. orientalis as food.

Abstract Despite more than half a century passing since the first report of scutacarid mites from Iran, only 63 species belonging to seven genera have been recorded from various habitats across the country (Rahiminejad et al. 2023). The number is relatively small compared to the more than 800 species known worldwide, belonging to 26 genera (Baumann 2018; Rahiminejad et al. 2022a, 2023). Despite Iran’s diverse climate, which is a result of its location between the Caspian Sea to the north and the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea to the south and also its topography, the number of recorded species is still low. However, the country’s rich flora and fauna are evident throughout the various habitats (Gholizadeh et al. 2020; Rahiminejad et al. 2020a; Rahiminejad et al. 2023).

Abstract To contribute to the scarce data on tick fauna associated with bats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we analyzed six tick samples collected at the Dardagani quarry in Karakaj, Zvornik, northeastern Bosnia (coordinates: 44.4313603, 19.0883753). Sampling was carried out by researchers from the Center for Karst and Speleology as part of their field surveys on August 25, 2023. Bat species were identified on site using the identification key for European bat species (Dietz and Kiefer 2016). The only present species was Schreiber's bent-winged bat, Miniopterus schreibersii (Kuhl, 1817). The results of both morphological and molecular approaches were congruent in identifying all samples as I. vespertilionis, being its first molecular record in this part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.