Persian Journal of Acarology

Abstract

Abstract A new species of the genus Pteridopus Newell & Vercammen-Grandjean, 1964, P. bonjarensis Haddadi & Noei sp. nov., from Zabol and Bonjar counties, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran is described and illustrated. It represents the fifth known larval species of this genus worldwide and the third recorded from Iran. An updated key to the world species of the genus is also presented.

Abstract The European red mite, Panonychus ulmi (Acari: Tetranychidae), is one of the main pests of apple trees worldwide. The main purpose of this research was to study the repellent and lethal effects of Heracleum persicum and Trachyspermum ammi (Apiaceae) essential oils (EOs) on the European red mite. The EO_S of H. persicum and T. ammi were extracted using a Clevenger device and by the water distillation method. The mortality of the mites was evaluated after 24 hours, and the lethality of each EO was calculated for contact toxicity and fumigant toxicity in an incubator at 26 ± 2 °C, 16:8 h L:D, and 50 ± 5% RH. It was found that the LC₅₀ values of EOs of H. persicum and T. ammi were 343.91 and 311.74 µL l⁻¹ for contact toxicity, and 2.54 and 2.85 µL l⁻¹ air for fumigant toxicity, respectively. With increasing the concentration of EO_S, the death rate of mites increased. Three different concentrations of the EOs from H. persicum and T. ammi were tested for their repellent effects on the European red mite. Results of the present study revealed that the repellency rate increased with increasing concentration; meanwhile, the T. ammi EO had the highest repellency among the concentrations. Despite the growing interest in plant-based pest control, the specific acaricidal and repellent potential of these EOs against P. ulmi remains under-explored, particularly regarding their efficacy in integrated pest management systems. These findings suggest that H. persicum and T. ammi EO_S represent promising, eco-friendly botanical alternatives for the management of the European red mite in apple orchards.

Abstract Date palm pollen has received considerable attention among various pollen types due to its high nutritional value, availability, and positive effects on predator performance. However, the nutritional quality of date palm pollen can vary significantly depending on its geographical origin. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of geographical variation in date palm pollen quality on the biological performance of Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot. Pollen samples were collected from the same date palm cultivar (Mazafati) at four locations in southern Iran: Bam and Jiroft (Kerman Province) and Rodan and Hajiabad (Hormozgan Province). The shortest pre-adult development was observed on Rodan pollen (6.38 days), and the longest times were observed on pollen from Jiroft (7.71 days) and Bam (7.69 days). Fecundity was significantly higher in individuals fed Rodan pollen (40.62 eggs/female) than those fed other pollens. The highest pre-adult mortality occurred in individuals reared on Bam pollen, followed by Jiroft pollen. The highest intrinsic (r) and finite (λ) rates of increase were obtained on Rodan pollen (0.181 and 1.199 day⁻¹, respectively), while the lowest values were recorded on Bam pollen (0.117 and 1.124 day⁻¹, respectively). Similarly, Rodan pollen exhibited the highest net (R₀) and gross (GRR) reproductive rates, while the lowest values were observed on Bam and Jiroft pollens. Rodan pollen had the shortest mean generation time (T) (16.45 days). Rodan pollen also had the highest protein content (43.18%), showing a significant difference compared to the other pollens. Our findings demonstrate that geographical origins of the date palm can directly affect its pollen quality and indirectly impact the biological performance of the predatory mite.

Abstract The genus Oxyamerus (Oribatida, Oxyameridae) comprises 11 species distributed across the Australasian, Oriental, and southern Palaearctic regions. A new species—O. jambiensis sp. nov.—is described, based on adults collected from forest litter in Sumatra, Indonesia. The new species is characterized by the presence of a long, thorn-like structure originating from the podosomal apophysis. An identification key, along with data on the distribution and habitats of the known representatives of Oxyamerus, are provided.

Abstract Knowledge of host associations in trombiculid mites recorded from Türkiye remains incomplete, and the host range of several species is still insufficiently known. To address this gap, the present study investigates four trombiculid species, Hirsutiella llogorensis (Daniel, 1960), Leptotrombidium europaeum (Daniel & Brelih, 1959), Neotrombicula sympatrica Stekolnikov, 2001, and N. vulgaris (Schluger, 1955), collected as ectoparasitic larvae from various rodent hosts. To minimize taxonomic uncertainty, Apodemus hosts (except one species) were confirmed molecularly using the mitochondrial cytb gene region. The principal finding of the study is the documentation of new host records for these species, thereby expanding their known host range. In addition, distributional data, brief morphological notes, comparisons with previous records from Türkiye, aberrations observed in N. sympatrica, and an updated checklist of trombiculid species recorded from Türkiye are provided. These findings contribute to a better understanding of host associations of trombiculid mites in Türkiye and provide a basis for future faunistic and ecological studies.

Abstract Predator-associated cues can induce behavioural and life-history changes in prey without direct predator–prey interactions, yet whether these responses reduce subsequent predation risk remains poorly understood. We investigated how predator-associated cues from the phytoseiid mites Amblyseius swirskii and Neoseiulus californicus influenced spatial organization and reproductive potential in the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae. Adult female T. urticae were exposed to experimentally manipulated levels of predator-associated cues representing increasing perceived predation risk, and spatial organization and oviposition were subsequently measured. Two additional, independent experiments used experimentally imposed aggregated and dispersed prey distributions to test predator–prey encounter frequency and predator patch choice. Predator-associated cues induced trait-specific and predator-dependent responses. Exposure to A. swirskii cues caused a transient increase in prey dispersion after 3 h, whereas N. californicus cues had no significant effect on spatial organization. Cues from both predator species significantly reduced oviposition, with stronger reductions occurring under higher perceived risk. In the independent encounter experiment, experimentally imposed prey spatial distribution did not significantly affect encounter frequency for either predator species. In the independent patch-choice experiment, A. swirskii preferentially selected aggregated prey patches and initiated attacks there, whereas N. californicus showed no significant patch preference. These findings indicate that predator-associated cues can modify prey behaviour and reproduction, but the ecological consequences of prey spatial distribution depend on the stage of predator foraging and predator identity.

Abstract The presence of E. orientalis on G. glabra in Khabr National Park, a protected area, raises questions about the mite's occurrence in natural ecosystems and its potential to spread to cultivated licorice fields.

Abstract The genus Flagellozetes (Oribatida, Galumnidae) is recorded for the first time from Brazil. A new species, F. (Cosmogalumna) tocantinsensis sp. nov., is described based on adults collected from litter in a flooded secondary tropical forest.

Abstract This study evaluated the acaricidal potential of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium pingshaense and the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema siamkayai, applied individually and in combination, against Rhipicephalus microplus larvae. The combined treatment produced high mortality comparable to the chemical acaricide Amitraz and significantly greater than the untreated control. Although mortality values among biological treatments were statistically comparable, the combined application consistently yielded the highest numerical efficacy. These findings support the potential integration of EPF–EPN combinations as sustainable biological alternatives for cattle tick management.

Abstract Accurate discrimination of Hyalomma species is important for taxonomy and vector surveillance. Although mitochondrial COI has been widely used for tick identification, nucleotide variation relevant to species discrimination and regional genetic diversity remain insufficiently investigated. This study evaluated the discriminatory power of COI by identifying informative nucleotide positions among Hyalomma species and assessing the phylogeographic diversity of H. anatolicum at nucleotide as well as amino acid level. Because H. anatolicum provided the largest number of suitable sequences, 71 sequences from Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Türkiye were selected for phylogenetic analysis, estimation of genetic diversity, neutrality tests and construction of a TCS haplotype network. The haplotype network showed patterns broadly consistent with genetic differentiation among the species examined, although it does not independently validate species boundaries. Within H. anatolicum, phylogenetic trees revealed no clear grouping by country of origin. Eleven haplotypes were detected, with moderate haplotype diversity (Hd = 0.648) and nucleotide diversity (π = 0.0709). A significantly negative Tajima’s D value (-2.444, P < 0.01) indicated departure from neutral expectations. The network also showed haplotype sharing among sequences from different countries, although interpretation of geographic structure was limited by the uneven geographic sampling. Overall, the results support the utility of COI for molecular identification of Hyalomma species and for population genetic studies of H. anatolicum. The candidate informative nucleotide positions may provide a reference for future validation and development of molecular assays for epidemiological and surveillance applications in Iran.

Abstract The family Tenuipalpidae Berlese, 1913, is commonly known as flat mites. Up to now, 86 species belonging to 14 genera of Tenuipalpidae have been recorded from Iran. Aegyptobia Sayed, 1950 is a large genus of Tenuipalpidae comprising 108 species, of which 19 species are recorded from Iran. In this paper, Aegyptobia anvillea Kamran & Alatawi, 2016, is newly recorded in Iran from Anvillea garcini DC. (Asteraceae). This is the second global report of this species, and the genus Anvillea is a new host plant for the Superfamily Tetranychoidea in Iran. The species was originally described from Saudi Arabia, on Anvillea garcini. Leaves and sheaths of Anvillea garcini were collected in plastic bags and brought to the research laboratory. A dipping-washing-filtering method was used to remove the mites (Boller, 1984). The solution was filtered through a 400 mesh sieve, and retained mites were washed with 70% ethanol into a Petri dish, then collected individually under a stereomicroscope and mounted in Hoyer’s medium. Mites were identified with an Olympus® BX43 phase-contrast compound microscope. Measurements were taken by means of a Dino-Eye® digital imaging system and are given in micrometers (μm).