This paper reports the occurrence of ticks on different species of free-ranging wild mammals in Emas National Park, Goiás State, Brazil. Between November 1999 and July 2008, ticks were collected from free-ranging wild mammals during 330 capture events. The tick species Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787), Amblyomma coelebs Neumann, 1899, Amblyomma naponense (Packard, 1869), Amblyomma ovale Koch, 1844, Amblyomma parvum Aragão, 1908, Amblyomma tigrinum Koch, 1844, Amblyomma triste Koch, 1844, and Rhipicephalus microplus (Canestrini, 1888) were identified on hosts of the order Carnivora. Among other host orders (Xenarthra, Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla, Rodentia, Didelphimorphia, Primates), specimens of A. cajennense, A. coelebs, A. ovale, A. triste, Amblyomma pseudoconcolor Aragão, 1908, A. naponense and Amblyomma nodosum Neumann, 1899 were identified. Although most of the tick-host associations found in this study have been previously reported, this is the first report of adults of A. tigrinum parasitizing a pampas cat, Leopardus colocolo (Molina, 1782), nymphs of Amblyomma parvum and Amblyomma ovale on Cerdocyon thous (Linnaeus, 1766), nymphs of Amblyomma naponense on C. thous and Tayassu tajacu (Linnaeus, 1758), nymphs of Amblyomma triste on C. thous and L. colocolo, nymphs of Amblyomma coelebs on Puma yagouaroundi (Geoffroy, 1803) and Dasyprocta azarae Lichtenstein, 1823, and nymphs of Amblyomma cajennense on L. colocolo, Conepatus semistriatus (Boddaert, 1785), Galictis cuja (Molina, 1782) and Nasua nasua (Linnaeus, 1766). This study is therefore a significant contribution to our knowledge of the ectoparasites associated with free-ranging Brazilian wild mammals.

Information on ticks from the Caatinga, a semi-arid biome unique to northeastern Brazil, is scarce. The present study reports field data on ticks infesting free-living wild animals in native Caatinga vegetation within the municipalities of Cabrobó, Custódia, Floresta, Ibimirim and Salgueiro, State of Pernambuco, Brazil. During field work from March 2009 to February 2010, a total of 91 ticks were collected from the following animals: Amblyomma rotundatum parasitizing Boa constrictor (tropical American boa); Amblyomma auricularium parasitizing Euphractus sexcintus (yellow armadillo), Galea spixii (Spix yellow-toothed cavy), Thrichomys apereoides (common punaré), Monodelphis domestica (gray short-tailed opossum) and Conepatus semistriatus (striped hog-nosed skunk); Amblyomma parvum parasitizing G. spixii and T. apereoides; and Ornithodoros (Alectorobius) sp. parasitizing Wiedomys pyrrhorhinos (red-nosed mouse). We report the first tick infestation in northeastern Brazil on G. spixii and C. semistriatus. Thrichomys apereoides and G. spixii are new host records for A. auricularium and A. parvum, while W. pyrrhorhinos is a new host record for Ornithodoros (Alectorobius) sp. Conepatus semistriatus is recorded for the first time parasitized by A. auricularium in Pernambuco State. The present study increases our knowledge of the distribution of ticks and their parasitism of wildlife in northeastern Brazil.

Thirty-five specimens of at least five tick species—Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor variabilis, Haemaphysalis leporispalustris, Ixodes cookei and Ixodes scapularis—were collected from eight mammal species in Rankin County, Mississippi, U.S.A. All are new county records. Three collections of D. variabilis from the eastern mole, Scalopus aquaticus, constitute the first report of tick collections anywhere in Mississippi from a mole.

From April 2008 through May 2009, ticks were collected from domestic, stray, and military working dogs when they were examined at any of the four US Army veterinary treatment facilities within the Republic of Korea. Approximately 2,500 dogs were examined during this period, and a total of 411 ticks (125 larvae, 200 nymphs, 67 females, 19 males) were collected from 18 dogs. The collected species were Haemaphysalis longicornis (6F, 195N), Haemaphysalis flava (19M, 52F), Ixodes nipponensis (7F), and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (2F). Five nymphs and all larvae were identified to genus only. Military working dogs received routine veterinary care, including preventive ectoparasite treatments, and were found to be free of ticks.

Ticks were collected from bats captured in caves, abandoned mines, and under bridges in the Republic of Korea as part of the 65^th Medical Brigade vector-borne disease surveillance program in collaboration with the National Institute of Biological Resources. A total of seven ticks (1 nymph and 3 larvae of Ixodes simplex, and 3 females of Ixodes vespertilionis) were removed from 7/141 bats (5.0%). Ixodes simplex was collected from both Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) and Miniopterus schreibersii (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae), while I. vespertilionis was collected only from R. ferrumequinum. This is the first report of I. simplex from the Republic of Korea.

Feeding characteristics and damage induced by the spider mite, Tetranychus ludeni Zacher on the detached leaves of the velvet bean Mucuna deeringiana were evaluated in the laboratory at 30 2°C and 70 5% RH. Cultivation of mite-infested (M ) and mite-free (M^-) host plants was done by constructing block design plots and replicated. Live cultures of different stages of mites were also maintained in the laboratory using leaf flotation technique. The results showed that T. ludeni could infest almost all age groups of leaves though the middle aged ones showed high population densities. Further, the upper leaf lamina was the preferable feeding site of the mite. Concomitant with feeding, deposition of two types of faecal pellets (black & white) were a notable feature. These pellets exhibited hygroscopic property in accordance with the ambient RH on the leaf surface. The results further reflected on the highly complex colony structure of T. ludeni through silken webbing of the individuals. Analysis of damage symptoms revealed extensive bleaching and chlorosis of the leaves. Chlorophyll loss was significant at 1% levels. Per cent loss in chlorophyll ‘a’ and ‘b’ recorded 79.26 4.3 % and 74.09 4.07 % respectively

In the course of a two-month Franco-Chilean expedition in January and February 2006, we found nine species of oribatid mites from nine genera and eight families. Two new species of oribatid mites, Pseudantarcticola aquatica sp. nov. and Multioppia chilensis sp. nov., are described from benthic samples from Chile. Pseudantarcticola georgiae (Wallwork, 1970) comb. nov. is included in the genus Pseudantarcticola from Antarcticola. Identification keys to known species of Pseudantarcticola and to Chilean species of Multioppiaare presented.

Christovizetes iranensis sp. nov. (Acari: Oribatida: Microzetidae) is described from Shiraz, Fars Province, Iran. The new species is characterized by long setiform sensilli that are densely ciliate with short cilia; lamellar cusps with four teeth, the outer two much longer than the inner two, and large pteromorphae with dentate anterodistal and lateral margins.

We collected parasitic deutonymphs of Echimyopus dasypus Fain et al. from a wild-caught nine-banded armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus L., for the first time within the United States of America, although this mite was previously found in England on armadillos imported from Florida. The new specimens came from a free-ranging animal captured in Hendry County, Florida, in 2004.

Two of three new species of Podapolipidae (Acari: Tarsonemoidea) discovered under the elytra of Diplocheila zeelandica (Coleoptera: Carabidae) are described under the names Dorsipes diplocheilae sp. nov. and D. zeelandicae sp. nov. This is the first record of species in the dorsipes group of the genus Dorsipes from the genus Diplocheila. Adult females of species in the dorsipes group share the plesiomorphic character of two pairs of setae on plate EF. The vagina is not broad and the opening is terminal. The male genital capsule is not broader at its base than at its apex. Putative apomorphies for adult females of the dorsipes group are: coxal setae 3a not present, setae v1 reduced, ambulacra I claws small and tarsi II solenidia omega absent. Dorsipes diplocheilae and D. zeelandicae are compared with five species from Europe, Asia and western North America in the dorsipes group, parasites of carabid beetles in the genus Carabus. Revised keys to species of the group dorsipes are provided.

Tetrapolipus anoplophorae sp. nov. (Acari: Podapolipidae) is described from Anoplophora lucipor Newman (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from Luzon, Bataan, Limay Province, Philippines and compared with seven species of Tetrapolipus Berlese in the Eastern Hemisphere. This is the first species of Tetrapolipus described from Anoplophora. No parasitic mites were found on Asian longhorned beetles (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky), collected in China or on A. glabripennis collected in the USA. Examination of additional species of Anoplophora failed to yield parasitic podapolipid mites. A key to species of Tetrapolipusis provided and genera of beetle families that have podapolipid mites are compared with genera of podapolipid parasites of these families.

In this paper we propose a new synonymy between P. corderoi (Baker & Pritchard, 1962) and P. incanusGonzález & Flechtmann, 1977, based on the examination of type-specimens.

A new species of Cheylostigmaeus Willmann (Acari: Trombidiformes: Stigmaeidae), Cheylostigmaeus gharakhanii sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on females and males. It was collected from soil in apple orchards at Marand, East Azerbaijan province, Iran.

Erythraeus (Erythraeus) sicilicus sp. nov. and E. (E.) etnaensis sp. nov. are described and illustrated from larvae collected from herbaceous plants in Sicily, Italy.

A new species of the sand mite, Euschoengastia (Euschoengastia) tanggulensis sp. nov., is described from Ochotona curzoniae in an endemic focus of plague in the north region of Tanggula Mountains in Qinghai province, China. The new species is the third one of the genus Euschoengastia in this province.

Three new species of the genus Epitrimerus from China are described and illustrated. They are Epitrimerus sessiliflorensis sp. n. on Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus (Rupr. et Maxim.) S. Y. Hu. (Araliaceae), Epitrimerus syzygicuminus sp. n. on Syzygium cumini (Lin.) Skeels (Myrtaceae), Epitrimerus verrucoser sp. n. on Euonymus verrucosus Scop. (Celastraceae). All the new species described herein are vagrants on the respective host plant.

Four new species of the genus Tegolophus from China are described and illustrated. They are Tegolophus breyniafruticosae sp. nov. on Breynia fruticosa (Linn.) Hook. f. (Euphorbiaceae), Tegolophus cymbopogus sp. nov. on Cymbopogon tortilis (J. Presl) A. Camus (Poaceae), Tegolophus glabrifolius sp. nov. on Tetradium glabrifolium (Champ. ex Benth.) Hartley (Rutaceae), Tegolophus oblatus sp. nov. on Syringa oblata Lindl. (Oleaceae). All the new species described herein are vagrants on the respective host plant. A key and a table to the species of Tegolophus in China are provided.