Citations and emendations are presented for 41 encomial works honoring the preeminent medical acarologist and entomologist Dr. Harry Hoogstraal.

In this study resistance levels of eggs and adult females of citrus red mite Panonychus citri McGregor (Acari: Tetranychidae) were determined for spirodiclofen, dicofol, tetradifon and fenbutatin oxide which are commonly used acaricides in the Çukurova Region of Turkey. Bioassay tests were conducted with five different populations of P. citri. Four populations were collected from commercial citrus orchards from Havutlu, Karadut, Kayarli and Çiçekli villages of the Çukurova region, where acaricide-insecticides have been intensively applied by growers to supress mite populations. One population was collected from a pesticide free area in the city center of Adana to be used as a susceptible (S) population in the experiments. According to the study, all four orchard populations were found to be more resistant than the S population to the four acaricides used in the experiments. Furthermore, acaricide resistance levels of tested populations varied, ranging from location to location due to the different spraying habits and frequency. Additionally, the resistance ratios obtained with eggs were lower than the resistance ratios of adult females. Compared to the S population, the highest resistance ratios of P. citri eggs were found 19.0, 38.9, 7.5 and 7.9 for Karadut, Çiçekli, Çiçekli and Kayarli populations, for spirodiclofen, dicofol, tetradifon and fenbutatin oxide, respectively. In the adult females, the highest resistance ratios were found to be 70.3, 159.6, 111.9 and 212.3 for the same populations and the acaricide order given above, respectively. Results of this study indicated that acaricides used to control P. citri should be monitored regularly to determine citrus red mite resistance levels for successful mite management. Acaricides which have least resistance should be preferred. In addition, rotation of acaricide having different modes of action to minimize development of resistance is essential.

The cassava green mite (CGM), Mononychellus progresivus Doresta allowed for a limited development of the predatory mite, Phytoseiulus longipes Evans at three experimented temperatures. When the predators were confined with the motile stages of CGM, at 10°C, only 10% of the larvae reached maturity after 16 days. At 24 and 32°C the development on the same prey was improved, however less than 50% that reached maturity, were not able to produce eggs. At the same temperatures, on the tomato spider mite (TSM), Tetranychus evansi Baker & Pritchard, the developmental periods of P. longipes were shorter and mortality lower. P. longipes consumed less number of CGM when compared to TSM and about double the number of TSM prey when compared to CGM. Feeding only on CGM produced insignificant number of eggs with high rate of female mortality. Combination of both CGM and TSM at different ratios substantially improved reproduction and lowered mortality of P. longipes females.

Winter collections (November through January 2006–2007) of phytoseiid mites were made from dormant buds in 19 different sites of wild blackberry and 13 different farms with commercial blackberry. Twelve different species were collected from wild blackberry, with Metaseiulus arboreus (Chant) being the dominant species, collected in all plots except one, in which no phytoseiids were found. Eight of these species are considered Type III generalist feeders. In commercial blackberry, phytoseiids were not only less numerous, but M arboreus, collected in all plots except one in which no phytoseiids were found, was the only species except for a single specimen of Galendromus occidentalis (Nesbitt). The low diversity of phytoseiids on commercial blackberry may be related to the lack of diversity in plants, alternate foods and the adverse effects of dormant sprays.

To identify potential predators of citrus trees pests we monitored phytoseiids in the canopy and on the ground of citrus orchards for two consecutive years in Guilan Province, Iran. The most abundant species, and therefore of greatest potential as a biocontrol agent, were Amblyseius herbicolus (Chant) (55.6%) and Transeius wainsteini (Gomelauri) (30.6%). Graminaseius graminis (Chant) is reported for the first time from Iran. A checklist and key are given for the 24 phytoseiid species found in citrus orchards in Iran.

Phytoseiid mites are the most studied family within the order Mesostigmata, especially because of their major interest for biological control programs. Phytoseiid mite species identification is essentially based on morphological characters. However, the development of faster and more accurate methods is under way. Molecular identification techniques, such as barcoding, are also used to improve mite diagnosis. The number of phytoseiid mite sequences used for diagnostic purpose has increased recently, but not all of them are reliable in the absence of voucher specimens or inaccurate taxonomy identification. In this study, we considered 14 common phytoseiid species collected from agricultural, urban, and wild ecosystems in different parts of China. We extracted genomic DNA from the mites and retained the mite specimens as vouchers to ensure the credibility of molecular data. Commonly used COI sequences were used as the most used barcoding marker. The results show that COI sequences are effective and capable of high-resolution molecular identification of the phytoseiid mite species herein considered.

A new oribatid mite genus, Valbehanella gen. nov., with type species, V. freestatensis sp. nov., is proposed and described from South Africa. The genus is tentatively included in Unduloribatidae, and if so would be the first record of this family from the southern hemisphere. Valbehanella gen. nov. can clearly be distinguished from the two other unduloribatid genera by lacking a lenticulus, having differently positioned notogastral setae and thinner cerotegument and simple lamellar cusps.

The genus Spatiodamaeus Bulanova-Zachvatkina, 1957 is reported for the first time from China, and a new species Spatiodamaeus bomeensis sp. nov. is described and illustrated from Tibet, China. A checklist and key to all species of the genus are provided.

A new oribatid mite species of Parakalummidae (Acari: Oribatida), Neoribates (Neoribates) granulatus sp. nov., is described from Iran. The new species is characterized by the granulate body surface; long setiform sensilli, with slightly dilated head, pointed distally, finely barbed; a weak translamellar line; a number of muscular impressions in the anterolateral margins of the notogaster; pteromorphs with radiate veins; five pairs of thin, sparsely barbulate genital setae; aggenital setae present, and thick and barbulate epimeral setae. It is the first record of the family in Iran.

Rubroscirus nidorum sp. nov. is described and illustrated from chicken nests in a poultry house at Teutônia county, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This is the first species of this family described from this State and the second of Rubroscirus for Brazil.

A new species, Stigmaeus miandoabiensis sp. nov. (Acari: Stigmaeidae), is described and a new record, S. siculus (Berlese, 1883) for Iran is re-described. A key to the Iranian species of Stigmaeus is provided

Two new species of the prostigmatic mite genus Adamystis Cunliffe, 1957—A. theroni sp. nov. and A. ueckermanni sp. nov.—from Fars province, Iran are described and illustrated based on female specimens collected from soil, humus and leaf litter under oak trees (Quercus brantii Lindl, 1840 ). Adamystis theroni sp. nov. differs from its congeners in having a smooth dorsal shield encompassing setal rows c, d and e, chelicera with two setae, lateral lip with three adoral setae, and coxal setation of 2-4-4-4. Adamystis ueckermanni sp. nov.is unique in having the trichobothrial pair sci placed far apart from each other, and the large dorsal shield with a mixed reticulation pattern encompassing setal rows c, d, e, f and h. A diagnostic key to the four species of Adamystis known from Iran is also given.

Two rare water mite species (Acari, Hydrachnidia), i.e., Torrenticola malaisei (Lundblad, 1941) and Momonides trabecularis Lundblad, 1941, are reported from streams in the eastern Himalayan region in India. Torrenticola malaisei (Lundblad, 1941) has been discovered after 70 years and the first description of the male is given; the synonymization of T. lamellifera (Lundblad, 1941) with T. malaisei proposed by Wiles (1997) is not accepted; the male of M. trabecularis is described for the first time.