The emergence of anti-predatory strategies for prey survival are ruled by the minimization of the encounters/ interactions with potential predators, but at the same time by maximizing the access to limiting resources such as food or mating partners. Cues indicating predatory activity influence decision-making activities in the twospotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae, such as dispersion, foraging activities, and reproductive effort. However, anti-predatory strategies studied in spider mites generally considers mainly the female perspective (e.g. oviposition), leaving a gap in how T. urticae couples deal with predatory risk. Here, through laboratory experiments, we observed that matured spider mite couples were only affected by predation risk during the precopulatory stages of the mating process, especially when deciding to proceed in a mating opportunity. The mating performance of individuals was independent of their exposure to predation risk, suggesting that couples would adopt full investment behavior after opting to proceed in a mating attempt. Though our working hypothesis predicted predation risk interference throughout the entire mating process, we conclude that decision-making activities by spider mite during pre-copulatory stages act independently from copulatory stages associated to insemination.

In the current study, development, reproduction, and longevity of Schizotetranychus smirnovi Wainstein concerning seven different temperatures including 13±1, 15±1, 20± 1, 25±1, 27±1, 30 ±1 and 35 ±1°C, relative humidity 50 ± 10 % and a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D) h. were investigated. Due to mite inability to settle on leaf disk, almond young branches were used for conducting life table experiments. Our results indicated that higher and lower temperatures caused a steeper decline in survivorship. The highest survival rate was observed at 25 and 27°C. The mean total development time was significantly decreased with increasing the temperatures; while adult longevity for both female and males significantly decreased. Furthermore, offspring production did not occur at 35°C. The highest values of the intrinsic rate of increase (r) and finite rate of increase (λ) were 0.2563 and 1.2922 d^-1 at 27°C, while their lowest values were obtained at 13°C. Again high temperature (30°C) caused a decline in both the reproductive rate and growth rate of this mite species. The longest mean generation time (T) (58.55 d) was at 13 °C and it declined significantly with increasing temperature. The most striking result emerging from our data is that 27°C is the most desirable temperature for not only development but also the reproduction of S. smirnovi. Finally, our obtained information provides a better understanding of the life history of S. smirnovi and its ability to survive and reproduce under different temperature regimes which can be used in the management of this pest.

Two new species of the subgenus Galumna (Galumna) (Oribatida, Galumnidae) are described from leaf litter of evergreen rain forest in eastern Madagascar. Galumna brevilineatasp. nov. differs from its closest species Galumna (Galumna) anuakensisErmilov, 2019 and Galumna paracalcicolaErmilov & Anichkin 2014 by the length of interlamellar and lamellar setae, the localization of notogastral lyrifissures im, the ornamentation of anogenital region, the morphology of bothridial setae and postanal porose area, and the absence of median pore. Galumna (Galumna) paraarmatiferasp. nov. differs from its closest species Galumna armatiferaMahunka, 1996 by the morphology of bothridial setae and anal plates, and the length of circumpedal carinae. An identification key to species of Galumna (Galumna) of the calcicola-group (species with short lamellar lines) was presented.

Surveys were conducted to assess Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesositgmata) diversity in various habitats and ecosystems (including natural and agricultural areas) since 2008 in Turkey. This paper aims to provide a review of the Turkish species belonging to genus Amblyseius Berlese (Acari: Phytoseiidae) based on materials collected during these surveys as well as previous records. As a result, A. nemorivagus Athias-Henriot was found for the first time for Turkish fauna. In addition, unknown male of A. bryophilus Karg is described and illustrated. A revised identification key is provided for the 13 Amblyseius species found in Turkey. Validity of some previous Turkish records, and identity of A. meridionalis Berlese, are discussed. There are series of discrete species reported under the name A. meridionalis, none of them truly match with the original description in terms of shape of ventrianal shield. Our results indicated that A. kadzhajai Gomelauri, A. meridionalis, A. nemorivagus and A. obtusus (Koch) sensu Karg, were found only on moss. Amblyseius andersoni (Chant), A. herbicolus (Chant) and A. swirskii Athias-Henriot are common in agricultural ecosystems or higher plants. According to results, there is a different geographic distribution between these three species; A. swirskii is reported only from east Mediterranean, while A. herbicolus only from North-East (Black Sea region), A. andersoni is common in western Turkey. Only a few specimens of Amblyseius adjaricus Wainstein & Vartapetov and A. bryophilus were collected, from cultivated plants from Black Sea region. Therefore, potential of Turkish populations of these five species and their using possibilities in biological control are warranted in Turkey.

In arthropods, a host of studies focused on insect olfactory systems, where most functional proteins including odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and chemosensory proteins (CSPs) have been identified. However, in other arthropods such as ticks and mites, genes encoding for OBPs and CSPs are absent. The Niemann-Pick type C2 (NPC2), as a third class of binding proteins, was indicated as potential carriers for semiochemicals and participants in chemical communication. Here, we cloned three full-length NPC2 genes (NbNPC2-1, NbNPC2-2 and NbNPC2-3) from a predatory mite Neoseiulus barkeri Hughes (Acari: Phytoseiidae) and investigated the expression levels of these genes by quantitative real-time PCR. These NPC2 proteins possessed a conserved motif of six cysteines paired in three disulfide bridges with a coincidence to insect OBPs. The 3D molecular modeling of NbNPC2 showed ligand-binding pocket of NbNPC2-1 was composed of a flexible β-structure that contributed to binding to a wide range of potential semiochemicals. Three NPC2 genes all possessed one signal peptide revealed their specific character as secretory proteins. Three NPC2 genes in N. barkeri displayed the highest expression levels in adult males, suggesting a putative role in detecting of the female sex pheromones and highly specific binding to female sex pheromone. The expression levels were lowest in the stage of eggs and increased with developmental stage growing, indicating that NPC2 genes were continuously expressed in post-embryonic stages. NbNPC2-1 in the stage of adult females was expressed 6 and 4 times higher than that of larva and nymph, suggesting NbNPC2-1 might contribute an important role in odor recognition of adult females to hunt for suitable areas for the oviposition and predation. These results showed that NPC2 genes might be involved in chemical communications of adult males, and that NbNPC2-1 preformed specified olfactory functions in adult females. This study provided a foundation for research to determine the roles of NPC2 proteins acting as odorant carrier and involved in chemical communication in phytoseiid mites.

The predatory mite Cheyletus malaccensis (Acari: Cheyletidae), commonly occurring in stores of various food commodities, is an important natural enemy of stored product pests. Disentangling the mt genome sequence of C. malaccensis at molecular level can decrease uncertainties during morphological identification and is useful in reconstructing the phylogeny of Acariformes group. In this study, the complete mitogenome of C. malaccensis was sequenced by the next-generation sequencing. After assembly and annotation, we found the circular 14,732 bp mitogenome of C. malaccensis, containing 13 protein coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. Compared with the ancestral mitogenome organization of arthropods, most of tRNA were truncated without D-arm or/and TψC-arm. Rearrangement was found in 12 mitogenome genes. Phylogenetic analyses based on the mitogenome data from other 29 mite species were inferred by Bayesian and maximum likelihood methods, which strongly supported the closer relationship between C. malaccensis and Tetranychidae than other mites. The obtained results represent the first complete mitochondrial genome record for Cheyletidae group. It may help improve molecular phylogenetic relationship and population genetics of the Cheyletidae.

We recently had the opportunity to collect some mite samples in Viti Levu and Vanua Levu of Fiji and found a couple of dozens of species. In this paper we present 32 species in three orders—Mesostigmata: 15 species in 11 genera in 9 families; Sarcoptiformes: 13 species in 13 genera in 10 families; Trombidiformes: 4 species in 4 genera in 3 families. The following 22 species are recorded for the first time from Fiji: Ameroseius womersleyi in Ameroseiidae, Lasioseius cuppa, L. latinoamericanus, L. pellitus and L. penicilliger in Blattisociidae, Androlaelaps casalis in Laelapidae, Proctolaelaps aurora in Melicharidae, Propriosiopsis ovatus and Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) transvaalensis in Phytoseiidae; Funkotriplogynium ovulum in Triplogyniidae, Uroactinia hippocrepea in Uroactiniidae, Neotropacarus mumai and Schwiebea zingiberi in Acaridae, Glycycometus weelawadjiensis in Aeroglyphidae, Blomia tropicalis in Echimyopodidae, Pergalumna (P.) hawaiiensis hawaiiensis in Galumnidae, Nasozetes sumatrensis in Hemileiidae, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus in Pyroglyphidae, Sudasia pontifica in Suidasiidae, Oulenziella bakeri in Winterschmidtiidae, Dactyloscirus smileyi in Cunaxidae, Tarsonemus rakowiensis in Tarsonemidae.

Lasioseius japonicus is a species of soil-dwelling predatory mite with great potential for controlling insect pests and has a broad application prospect in biological control. This study was conducted under indoor conditions to explore the development, survival and reproduction of L. japonicus on two diets. Through the construction of two-sex life table of L. japonicus, it was revealed that, when it preyed on eggs of Drosophila melanogaster, the intrinsic rate of increase (r) was 0.2614 d^-1, the net reproductive rate (R₀) was 57.76 offspring, the finite rate of increase (λ) was 1.2988