A number of species of reptile ticks in Australia, particularly those using the sleepy lizard (Trachydosaurus rugosus) as their dominant host, form parapatric boundaries wherever they come into contact. A variety of hypotheses have been put forward to explain these boundaries, none of which has yet been demonstrated to be correct. Two of these, one involving reproductive interference and the other competition for attachment sites to hosts, were based on field observations of differences in attachment sites between species and regional variation in attachment sites within species. These hypotheses assume that species-specific attachment site preferences are static. Here we show, using data from single-species infestations of T. rugosus, that this is not the case for either Aponomma hydrosauri males or Amblyomma albolimbatum males or females. We suggest that dynamics in attachment site choice are driven, at least in part, by male movement in search of females.

Water extracts of three botanicals, garlic leaves, liquorice leaves, turmeric rhizomes with three concentrations (2, 1, and 0.5%) and sulphur powder were evaluated against Tropilaelaps clareae Delfinado and Baker in Apis mellifera L. colonies. A single spray of garlic extracts at 2% provided significantly more dead mites in hive debris with brood frames with bees (72.39%) and without bees (63.04%) than in the untreated group. Extracts of liquorice (2%) and turmeric (2%) killed 29.03, 14.61 per cent and 28.07, 14.26 per cent in colonies where the solution was sprayed on brood frames with bees and without bees, respectively. Among the treatments, significantly (p<0.05) more dead mites (18.17) were observed in garlic treated colonies than sulphur treated ones (15.4 mites) after seven days. Although the T. clareae count after turmeric and liquorice treatment was slightly lower than that in sulphur treatment, it differed significantly from the T. clareae count in water sprayed colonies (control). No mites were recorded in treated colonies after 21 days. The single spray of botanicals and sulphur did not affect the organoleptic quality of honey. Colony strength with respect to adult bee population and brood area were comparable between the treatments after 7 and 21 days but significantly more worker adults and brood and fewer mites were present in treated groups as compared to the untreated group.

Jatropha curcas L., once considered as a border or fence plant in India, has recently attained a new economic dimension as a biofuel crop. Though this crop suffers less damage from pests and diseases, some do cause a certain amount of injury. Phytophagous mites, namely broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks), and red spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, infest Jatropha curcas. Experiments were conducted during the year 2005–2006 to study the population dynamics and biology of these mites. The populations of broad mite and of the red spider mite were highest during November and October, respectively. The total life cycle of broad mites lasted six days; females and males lived for nine and seven days, respectively, whereas that of the spider mite was six days. Among several chemicals assayed, abamectin 0.0009% provided best control of both pests.

Feeding habits of members of two genera of macropyline oribatid mites (Mesoplophora and Nothrus) and five genera of brachypyline mites (Pergalumna, Scheloribates, Muliercula, Galumnella and Teleolides) from Nigeria were studied in laboratory experiments. Individuals extracted directly from the soil were observed in October 2002 for 287 days and May 2003 for 102 days. Edible yeast, algae (Pleurococcus sp.), litter filtrate and litter residue were offered for consumption. Presence of the mites on the food types as well as reduction in food size were used as indicators of consumption. Based on their food preferences in the laboratory, Pergalumna sp., S. mochlosimilaris, G. sonpona and M. inexpectata were classified as panphytophagous while M. ifeana, a surface dweller, was classified as microphytophagous. The alga Pleurococcus sp. seemed to be the most suitable food for Teleolides sp. It was observed that the relatively larger Pergalumna sp. and Teleolides sp., whose populations were extremely low in the field, fed more actively on almost all available food materials offered in the laboratory, hence their relatively longer survival in the laboratory when compared to the other taxa. Nothrus lasebikani did not feed in the laboratory experiments.

Tick-infested bats, rodents and marsupials were captured along the Iquitos-Nauta highway, Loreto Department, in the Peruvian Amazon. The only ticks found on Chiroptera were members of the Ornithodoros hasei (Schulze, 1935) species group, collected from Noctilio albiventris Desmarest, 1818, Rhinophylla pumilio Peters, 1865 and Myotis albescens (É. Geoffroy, 1806). Rhinophylla pumilio is a new host and M. albescens was confirmed as a host for the O. hasei group. Among Rodentia, Oecomys bicolor (Tomes, 1860), Oligoryzomys microtis (Allen, 1916), Hylaeamys perenensis (Allen, 1901) and Hylaeamys yunganus (Thomas, 1902) were infested with larvae (O. bicolor) or nymphs (other three rodents) of Ixodes luciae Sénevet, 1940; all are new hosts for I. luciae. Tick infestation was more diverse among the Didelphimorphia, where a nymph and larva of Amblyomma sp. were collected on Philander opossum (Linnaeus, 1758), a nymph of Amblyomma sp. on Caluromys lanatus (Olfers, 1818), and a larva of Ixodes pararicinus Keirans & Clifford, 1985 on Monodelphis adusta (Thomas, 1897). Monodelphis adusta is a new host for I. pararicinus. Caluromys lanatus, Marmosops sp., Metachirus nudicaudatus (Desmarest, 1817), Micoureus sp., Philander andersoni (Osgood, 1913) and P. opossum were parasitized with larvae (Micoureus sp.) or adults (all other didelphids) of I. luciae. With the exception of P. opossum, all these marsupials are new hosts for I. luciae.

Three females and a nymph of Ixodes stilesi were collected by dragging ground vegetation in a southern beech (Nothofagus) forest at San Martin (39° 38′S, 73° 75′W), Valdivia Province, Los Ríos Region (Region XIV), Chile, 20 April 2005 and 1 April 2006; a second nymph was removed from the long-tailed pygmy rice rat or colilargo, Oligoryzomys longicaudatus (Bennett), same locality, 20 April 2005. The 16S rDNA sequence for one of the I. stilesi females showed 100% agreement with the sequence for this species deposited in GenBank. The morphology of our nymphal specimens agrees with a recently published description of the nymph, but our females of I. stilesi differ from the redescription of a partly engorged female in four respects: 1) cornua prominent and triangular instead of small, rectangular and blunt; 2) hypostome pointed instead of rounded apically; 3) genital aperture situated between coxae III and IV instead of between coxae II and III; 4) anal groove horseshoe shaped instead of U shaped. In the female described earlier, the cornua and hypostomal apex were likely damaged when the specimen was removed from its host, while differences in the position of the genital aperture and shape of the anal groove may be due to the effects of engorgement on the integument. This is the first record of I. stilesi from O. longicaudatus.

In this paper a new species of the predominantly marine water mite family Pontarachnidae is described from Brazil. It is the first record of this family from South America.

The first description is given of a female of the water mite genus Pollicipalpus K. Viets. Females were collected from the Northern Territory, Australia.

Arrenurus globator and A. tubulator are closely related species. Some authors consider A. tubulator to be a synonym of A. globator, but others regard both species as separate. The present paper describes the larvae of the two species. They differ in distances Mp1–Mp2 and C1–C2. But the differences are barely detectable and renders differentiation of the two species impossible.

New records of water mites of the family Hygrobatidae (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from the Garhwal Himalayas (Northern India) are presented. Hygrobates gangeticus and Atractides garhwali are described as new to science.

Zibethacarus beeri sp. nov., is described and illustrated from adults collected from the nest of Microtus oregoni (Bachman) (Rodentia) in western Oregon, U.S.A. Males are approximately half the size of females, and samples collected into alcohol using a Berlese funnel contained males still clinging to the dorsum of females, their modified tibiae of legs II clasping the female's modified dorsal setae h₂. It is probable that such persistent clinging behavior is a result of mate guarding on the part of the male.