The erineum strain of Colomerus vitis (GEM) is the most destructive pest of vineyards in western Iran and sometimes causes considerable damages to the grapevine. Little information is available on the susceptibility of the grapevine to this pest and its knowledge can be useful for a sustainable management of GEM. The present study was aimed at evaluating the responses of the plants to the infestation of GEM in order to compare the resistance/susceptibility of some native cultivars to this pest. Also, the profiling of JA, SA and IAA in leaves of infested plants of Sezdang was studied. The experiment was carried out on eighteen native cultivars and the non-native Muscat Gordo which were selected amongst the most common in southern and western Iran. Potted plants were cultivated under greenhouse conditions at a temperature of 32 ± 3.8°C, 75 ± 5% R.H. and a photoperiod of L16: D8 h. The impact of GEM was evaluated on the basis of the leaf area and weight, number and size of the erinea, and percentage of leaves with erinea three months after the infestation. The cane length was measured, too. Mite density on galled leaves (three months after the infestation) and in buds (at the bud breaking) was assessed.

Cluster analysis based on the leaf damage index induced by GEM allowed to distinguish highly affected (Sezdang, Khalili, Ghalati and Rishbaba), moderately affected (Neyshaboori, Gazne, Muscat, Lale, Shahani Sefid, Ahmad, Monagha and Sia) and scarcely affected (Yaghuti, Rotabi, White Thompson, Atabaki, Koladari and Sahebi and Shahani Gerd) cultivars. The mite density into the buds and on the galled leaves was higher in the medium-late (Rishbaba and Khalili) and late ripening (Sezdang and Ghalati) cultivars rather than in the early (Sahebi and Shahani Gerd) and early-medium (Atabaki) ripening ones. The leaf damaged area, the leaf weight, the shoot length and the erineum development were correlated to the mite density and were the highest on Sezdang, Khalili, Ghalati and Rishbaba and the lowest on Atabaki, Koladari, Sahebi and Shahani Gerd. The highest density of the overwintering population was detected in proximal buds of all treated cultivars.

The plant responses and the mite density were investigated also in the second and third year after the first mite infestation on highly affected (Sezdang, Khalili, Ghalati, Rishbaba), a few of the moderately affected (Neyshaboori, Gazne, Muscat) and the scarcely affected cultivars (White Thompson, Atabaki, Koladari, Sahebi, Shahani Gerd). The leaf damaged area, the percentage of galled leaves, the percentage of cane length reduction and the mite density strongly decreased during all three years of observations on the highly affected Sezdang, Khalili and Gazne. On the contrary, Ghalati and Rishbaba displayed an increase of the leaf damaged area, leaf damaged index and mite density on galled leaves during the same period in comparison to the first year of observation. The percentage of the leaves with erinea, the leaf damaged area and the mite density of Sezdang were highly and positively correlated with IAA while a negative correlation was found between the leaf damaged area and the mite density with SA and JA in the assayed years. Almost all data currently collected allowed a recognition of White Thompson, Atabaki, Koladari, Sahebi and Shahani Gerd as the least affected cultivars.

Interactions between birds and mites have allowed mites to act as ectoparasites or to be associated with the micro-environments of nests. The aim of this study was to identify the mite fauna associated with wild bird nests in the rural and urban zones of different environments, and analyze the importance of birds as potential carriers of these organisms to households or poultry houses. In the rural zone, the following environments were assessed: Countryside (C), Forest (F), Aquatic (A), Orchards (O), and Residential (R), and in the urban zone, a similar division was used (C, O, R), with absence of environments (A) and (F). Apart from the Suborder Oribatida found in the 52 bird nests sampled in both zones, a total of 24,274 mites were collected and identified as 67 species in 34 families. There was a predominance of mites in the rural zone (90%), with higher richness in (C) of both zones and higher abundance in (R) and (A) of the rural zone and (O) of the urban zone. Mite species of medical-veterinary importance with the highest abundance were Ornithonyssus bursa in nests of Certhiaxis cinnamomeus and Columbina picui; Tyrophagus putrescentiae in nests of Columbina picui and Pitangus sulphuratus; and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus in nests of Troglodytes musculus and Pitangus sulphuratus. This study showed that the wild bird nests are depositories of mites, including ectoparasites of medical-veterinary importance.

A new species, Microdispodides moseri sp. nov. (Acari: Pygmephoridae), from alcohol sediments containing bark beetle Ips typographus Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) collected in pheromone traps in Western Siberia, Russia, is described. The genus Microdispodides Vitzthum, 1914 is recorded from Palaearctic for the first time. A key to species of Microdispodides is provided.

The citrus leprosis mite, Brevipalpus yothersi Baker, is not considered to cause major damage to orange trees in the Brazilian Amazonas state. However, little is known about the diversity of plant mites and about mite damage to plants in this state of northern Brazil. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the level of occurrence of the leprosis mite in this region and the diversity and prevailing population levels of associated mites in unsprayed orange groves of the surroundings of Manaus, Amazonas state. In total, 1,614 mites were collected on citrus trees (616 of eminently predatory groups, 541 of eminently phytophagous groups and 457 of other groups). On plants growing spontaneously in orange groves, 514 mites were collected (270 of eminently predatory groups, 26 of eminently phytophagous groups and 218 of other groups). Most predators collected (638 specimens) belonged to Phytoseiidae, representing 14 species. The most abundant phytoseiids were Amblyseius aerialis Muma and Iphiseiodes zuluagai Denmark & Muma. Only 197 B. yothersi were collected, on leaves of orange, Lantana camara L. and Solanum paniculatum L.. Leprosis symptoms were not observed, and this may be related to the relatively low densities of the leprosis mite. The plant species Borreria verticillata (L.), Clidenia hirta (L.), L. camara, Paspalum virgatum L. and S. paniculatum are reservoirs of two abundant predatory mites of orange trees, A. aerialis and I. zuluagai.

A new species viz. Zetzellia kamili sp. nov., collected from soil and litter under Olea europaea (Oleaceae), Ceratonia siliqua (Fabaceae) and Rosmarinus officinalis (Lamiaceae) in the Dilek Peninsula - Büyük Menderes Delta National Park, west of Turkey, is described and illustrated based on adult females. A key to the species of Zetzellia known from Turkey is provided.

A new species of the genus Punicodoxa Mahunka, 1978 (Acari: Prostigmata: Microdispidae) is described and illustrated from Southwestern Iran: Punicodoxa termitophila Azhari and Hajiqanbar sp. nov., discovered from a termite Anacanthotermes sp. (Isoptera: Hodotermitidae). This species is the second representative of the genus Punicodoxa which is the first record of the genus form Asia. Furthermore, phoretic association between mites of the family Microdispidae and termites of the family Hodotermitidae, and also phoresy on insects in the genus Punicodoxa are reported for the first time.

During a study on the plant samples of Trifolium pratense L. (Leguminosae) collected in Iranian historical village, Kandovan of Osku region, Aculus haddadi Lotfollahi & Tajaddod sp. nov. was identified as a vagrant species and herein described and illustrated. In addition, a key to the known Aculus mite species collected on Leguminosae plants worldwide and information about their type host, type locality and habitus and figures of their prodorsal shield patterns are provided.

A new subgenus, with two new species, of the genus Cavernocepheus (Oribatida, Otocepheidae) are described from soil and litter of Korup National Park in Cameroon. Cavernocepheus (Paracavernocepheus) subgen. nov. differs from the nominative subgenus by the presence of four pairs of genital setae. Revised generic and subgeneric diagnoses and an identification key to the known taxa of the genus Cavernocepheus are presented.

The cacao bud mite, Aceria reyesi (Nuzzaci 1973) (Eriophyidae), reported as causing serious damage to the cacao tree in Central and South America, is studied based on type specimens from Venezuela and adults and immatures specimens from Costa Rica, Ecuador and the Brazilian states of Amazonas, Bahia and Rondônia, offering a supplementary description and the first report of this species in Costa Rica and Ecuador. The probable origin and the potential geographic distribution of this noxious phytophagous mite is discussed, and a detailed morphological comparison between A. reyesi and the related eriophyid species Gymnaceria cupuassu Oliveira, Rodrigues & Flechtmann 2012, both associated with Theobroma species (Malvaceae) of economic importance, is given.

The morphological ontogeny of Peloribates longipilosus Csiszár, 1962, in Csiszár & Jeleva, 1962 is described and illustrated. The juveniles of this species have most prodorsal and gastronotal setae long and some gastronotal setae with excentrosclerites. The larva has 12 pairs of gastronotal setae, including h₃, whereas the nymphs have 15 pairs. The larva has excentrosclerites at one pair of setae (c₂), whereas nymphs have them at 11 pairs (c₁ c₂, d-l- and h-series). The notogaster of adult loses seta c₃ and 14 pairs of long setae remain, and this setal pattern is the most primitive in Haplozetidae, other species have 10, 11 or 13 pairs of notogastral setae.

A new oribatid mite genus of the family Carabodidae, Camcarabodes gen. nov., with type species Camcarabodes korupensis sp. nov., is proposed and described from Cameroon. It differs from the similar genera Carabodella Mahunka, 1986, Hardybodes Balogh, 1970, Odontocepheus Berlese, 1913 and Sagittabodes Balogh & Mahunka, 1966 by the clearly depressed posterior half of the notogaster and some additional selective morphological traits (morphology of basal part of prodorsum and anterior half of notogaster; number and localization of notogastral setae; localization of interlamellar setae).

Two new species of Tenuipalpidae (Acari) are described from Hainan province, China: Tenuipalpus gneti sp. nov. and Tenuipalpus maai sp. nov.. The ontogenetic changes in the idiosoma and leg chaetotaxy on adults (female and male) and immature stages of T. gneti sp. nov. are presented. An old species, Tenuipalpus lineosetus Wang, 1983 is re-described with detailed illustrations based on the holotype and paratypes. A key to species of Tenuipalpus of China is provided.

The morphological ontogeny of Ceratozetes shaldybinae Seniczak et al., 2016c is described and illustrated. The adult of this species has a long lamellar cusp and 10 pairs of notogastral setae or alveolar vestiges, and is similar to that of C. helenae (Pavlichenko, 1993), but differs from the latter mainly by larger porose area A1 and longer seta v″ on femur II. However, these species differ more distinctly from one another in the juveniles. The larva of C. shaldybinae has a pygidial shield bearing setal pair dp, whereas C. helenae lacks this shield and setae dp are placed on individual sclerites. In the tritonymph of C. shaldybinae, setae of p- and ad-series are inserted on unsclerotized cuticle, whereas in C. helenae they are placed on microsclerites. The tritonymphs of both species have the same number of setae on the gastronotal shield (five pairs), but in C. shaldybinae setae dm and dp are thicker than in C. helenae. The juveniles of these species differ also by the shape of some setae on the body and legs.