Biological control of Tetranychus urticae relies mainly on specialist predators that are capable of coping with the dense web of spider mites. The role of generalist predators, however, has been less studied. To evaluate the development and predation of immature Neoseiulus cucumeris on Tetranychus urticae eggs, three experiments were conducted in the laboratory at 25 °C. The results showed that only 20–25% N. cucumeris eggs developed into adults when provided with 120 frozen spider mite eggs at the start of the experiment. The rate of predation by predator immatures and their survival increased with prey density. When N. cucumeris were fed 12–24 frozen spider mite eggs every day from larvae, they completed their immature development in 11–14 days and consumed 133–208 spider mite eggs. When the predator was offered 200 fresh spider mite eggs at the start of the experiment, they developed faster when fed every day, with adults emerging in 7 days. It was found that the webbing of spider mite lowered the predation of N. cucumeris. Compared with specialist predators, predation rates by N. cucumeris were much higher. The potential for N. cucumeris to control of T. urticae is discussed.

During a survey on the phytoseiid fauna of Greece, plant samples from various natural ecosystems, especially water-related ecosystems, such as coasts and wetlands, were examined. This study reports the presence of four phytoseiid species found on coastal and wetland vegetation. Neoseiulella paralias sp. nov., is described and illustrated as a new species. Additionally, Neoseiulella litoralis (Swirski & Amitai), Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) maspalomensis Ferragut & Peña-Estévez and Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) tamaricis (Kolodochka), three new records for the Greek fauna, are re-described and illustrated, based on specimens collected. The male of T. (A.) maspalomensis is described for the first time.

Alfred Nalepa (19.XII.1856–11.XII.1929), an Austrian acarologist, described about 460 eriophyoid species. He reported new taxa in short communications usually published in “Anzeiger der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien” and later prepared detailed descriptions for separate publication. For most Nalepan species the date of the first listing in Anzeiger is the valid date of the taxon name. His archive, library and collection are kept in the Natural History Museum of Vienna, Austria (NHMW). The collection consists of 24 boxes with 1073 vials containing plant material with extracted mites collected during 1887–1929. All boxes are labeled according to the first letters of the host-plant names and are sorted alphabetically; the vials are numbered and labeled. A jotter, presumably representing the hand-written catalog of the vial collection, and work diaries, containing indications of numbers of the vials, were found in the Nalepa archives. Nalepa used picric acid, hydrochloric acid, ethanol, formalin and creosote for preservation of mites. In all vials the preservative totally evaporated so that only dry sediment remains at the bottom of the vials. A solution containing ethanol, ether and acetic acid was found to be appropriate for dissolving the sediment. A simple, fast protocol for recovering mites from vials and making good slides was developed. It includes four steps: 1) opening the vial; 2) dissolving the sediment; 3) treating mites in lactic acid; 4) slide mounting. All digital data obtained from the Nalepa archives (database of the vials, copies of the jotter, reprints and drawings of mites) will be available for scientists at the web site of NHMW  http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en/nalepa.

Tick surveillance of migratory birds was conducted during 2009 on Hong Island (Hong-do), Jeonnam Province, Republic of Korea. A total of 16/102 (15.8%) species of birds captured by mist net for banding were infested with ticks. A total of 143 ticks belonging to two genera and seven species—Ixodes turdus (96 ticks), Haemaphysalis flava (17), Haemaphysalis longicornis (12), Ixodes nipponensis (10), Haemaphysalis aborensis (3), Haemaphysalis hystricis (3), and Haemaphysalis doenitzi (2)—were collected from 16 bird species representing eight genera. New country and host records are provided for three uncommonly collected tick species: H. hystricis (3 nymphs; Turdus hortulorum and Zoothera dauma), H. aborensis (3 nymphs; Turdus pallidus), and H. doenitzi (1 male, 1 nymph; T. pallidus and Turdus naumanni). Most ticks (124/143; 86.7%) were collected from birds on their northward spring (March—May) migration from Southeast Asia to their breeding grounds in northeastern Asia.

A survey of plant inhabiting mesostigmatid mites was recently conducted in the Dominican Republic. Phytoseiidae was by far the most represented family, with 12 species. Amblyseius tamatavensis Blommers was the most common species; it was reported from four provinces on five plant species. Two species of Ascidae, four of Blattisociidae and three of Melicharidae were also found. Four blattisociid species of the genus Lasioseius are here described for the first time, namely Lasioseius dominicensis n. sp., Lasioseius oryzae n. sp., Lasioseius prorsoperitrematus n. sp. and Lasioseius sanchezensis n. sp.. Morphological information about all other species collected is presented.

The leaf structure of the host plant can affect the development and reproduction of the predatory enemies of spider mites. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of five host plant species [cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), eggplant (Solanum melongena L.), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and green bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)] on the development and reproduction of Neoseiulus bicaudus feeding on Tetranychus turkestani. There were significant differences in the characteristics of trichomes on the surfaces of the host plant species. Tomato leaves had the greatest trichome density (782 trichomes/cm²) whereas green bean leaves had the least density (58 trichomes/cm²). Cucumber had the longest trichomes (1.58 mm) and green bean had the shortest (0.14 mm). N. bicaudus developed into adulthood and completed its development on all five plant species. The total immature period of N. bicaudus feeding on T. turkestani was shortest (5.07 d) on tomato. N. bicaudus on cucumber had the longest previposition period (2.78 d) and the shortest oviposition period (11.96 days). Total fecundity was highest on green bean (42.4 eggs/day/female) and lowest on cucumber (20.81 eggs/day/female). The female/male sex ratio was highest on cucumber (0.76) and lowest on tomato (0.65). The net reproductive rate (R₀) was 14.55 on cucmber, 23.54 on cotton, 21.79 on eggplant, 24.05 on tomato, and 34.61 on green bean. In conclusion, among the five host plant species in this study, green bean was best and cucumber was worst for the development and reproduction of N. bicaudus preying on T. turkestani.

Three new species of Olopachys are described from Trabzon and Artvin Provinces, Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey. Two of the species O. digitus sp. nov. and O. semicirculus sp.nov. are described based on the females and males. Males of both species have a characteristic spermatodactyl with a distinct modified process at the base. A new species O. crescentus sp. nov. is described based on the females only. Females of O. crescentus have uniquely modified tubes of the sperm access system which differ from all its congeners.

The genus Turanopenthalodes Barilo, 1988 is redefined and its taxonomic position is discussed. The type species, Turanopenthalodes polytrichus Barilo, 1988, is redescribed based on a study of the holotype.

An annotated checklist of oribatid mites (Acari, Oribatida) collected from Vanuatu is provided, which includes 37 species from 30 genera and 19 families. All these taxa are recorded in Vanuatu for the first time; of these, 11 species and 3 genera are recorded in the Australian region for the first time. A new species of the genus Mixacarus (Lohmanniidae) is described and illustrated on the basis of adult specimens. Mixacarus (Mixacarus) vanuatuensis sp. nov. is morphologically most similar to M. (M.) quadrifasciatus Balakrishnan, 1986 from India, but differs from the latter by the presence of 10 transverse bands on notogaster, prodorsal and notogastral setae smooth or only serrate in medio-basal parts and lamellar and interlamellar setae similar in length to rostral and both pairs of exobothridial setae.

Denheyernaxoides americanus sp.nov. is described and illustrated from lichens and moss associated with bark of Ilex paraguariensis A. St. Hil. (Aquifoliaceae) in yerba-mate agroecosystem at Putinga municipality, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. This is the first species of this genus found in Americas. New records of cunaxids Neobonzia moraesi (Den Heyer & Castro, 2008), Neocunaxoides andrei (Baker & Hoffmann, 1948) and Pulaeus pectinatus (Ewing, 1909) from Rio Grande do Sul State are also provided. A key to world Denheyernaxoides species is included.