This study provides an updated description of the type species of Weiseronyssus Samšiňák, W. mirus Samšiňák, with redescription of the female and male based on paratype slides and newly-collected mites. Specimens of W. mirus were collected in China from laboratory-reared Allomyrina dichotoma (Coleoptera: Scarabaeids: Dynastinae) larvae. A key to both sexes of Weiseronyssus species is provided.

This study contributes to the extensive history of research on the family Phytoseiidae in New Zealand, covering nearly a century. We examined phytoseiid specimens in the major repositories, unveiling fifteen species new to New Zealand: Amblyseius andersoni (Chant), A. waltersi Schicha, A. williamsi Schicha, Australiseiulus australicus (Womersley), Euseius elinae (Schicha), Graminaseius graminis (Chant), G. sturti (Schicha), Neoseiulus alpinus (Schweizer), N. californicus (McGregor), N. dieteri (Schicha), N. tareensis (Schicha), Proprioseiopsis anthurii (Schicha), P. cabonus Schicha & Elshafie, P. okanagensis (Chant) and Typhlodromus transvaalensis (Nesbitt), and clarifying the presence or absence status of some species in the country. Additionally, we analysed the diversity and distribution of species in New Zealand, presenting an updated checklist of phytoseiid species in the country.

During field surveys of eriophyoid mites in northeast Iran (Razavi Khorasan, Iran, summer 2023), two new vagrant eriophyoid species (Acari: Eriophyoidea: Eriophyidae) on Lamiaceae plants were discovered, illustrated and described. They are Aceria borselaniensis sp. nov. on Hymenocrater calycinus Benth. and Aculus khorasanii sp. nov. on Salvia yangii B.T.Drew. Furthermore, the checklists and morphological keys of Aceria and Aculus mite species associated with Lamiaceae plants around the world are provided.

The genus Cryptofavognathus is represented with only two species: Cryptofavognathus anatolicus Doğan & Dönel and C. afyonensis (Koç & Akyol). The third species, Cryptofavognathus bellus sp. nov., was detected during a faunistic study on raphignathoid mites of Sansa Gorge (Türkiye) and described here. This paper also presents a current species list for the family Cryptognathidae Oudemans, with the following taxonomic recommendation in the genus Favognathus Luxton: Favognathus aegyptiaca (Fawzy, Khalil & Yassin) and Favognathus rosetta (Fawzy, Khalil & Yassin) described from Egypt should be considered species inquirendae due to their inadequate diagnostic characteristics and poor descriptions.

Three new species of eriophyoid mite from China are described and illustrated. They are Rhyncaphytoptus emeishanicus sp. nov. on Acer tataricum subsp. ginnala (Sapindaceae), Rhyncaphytoptus thysanolaenus sp. nov. on Thysanolaena latifolia (Poaceae), and Catarhinus haikouicus sp. nov. on Miscanthus floridulus (Poaceae). All three new eriophyoid mite species are vagrants causing no apparent symptom to their host plants.

A known species, Scirula papilata Lin, 1997 based on samples collected from Hubei Province, China, is redescribed with the detailed illustration and the first description of males.

The tomato red spider mite, Tetranychus evansi, a notorious crop pest, invaded New Zealand in 2020. In an effort to identify potential biological control agents for this species, we investigated the capabilities of four phytoseiid predators found in New Zealand—Amblyseius herbicolus, Amblyseius lentiginosus, Amblydromalus limonicus, and Neoseiulus californicus. For comparison, we also used the two-spotted spider mite, T. urticae, and the dried fruit mite, Carpoglyphus lactis, as prey for these predators. In our first experiment we monitored immature development and oviposition rate (over the first 5 days) of the phytoseiid predators when presented with the three prey species. While all four species of predators could develop and reproduce on the factitious (alternative and easily available) prey species C. lactis, they had limited success when feeding on T. evansi and T. urticae. Amblyseius herbicolus, A. lentiginosus, and Amblyd. limonicus were unable to reach adulthood when feeding on T. evansi and T. urticae in the presence of the protective webbing spun by the mites. While N. californicus matured when exposed to T. evansi reared on black nightshade leaves, it did not lay eggs—indicating potential limitations in prey suitability. In our second experiment, gravid females of all four predators failed to maintain their reproduction when provided with T. evansi in the presence of webbing. Neoseiulus californicus exhibited phenotypic plasticity in its developmental time, body size, and oviposition rate when feeding on the three prey species. This suggests that N. californicus has the flexibility to switch diets to survive during food scarcity, especially when their primary prey, T. urticae, is limited. This study is also the first to offer life history information about A. lentiginosus. Our findings underscore the difficulties of controlling T. evansi using phytoseiid predators and highlight the need for diversified pest management strategies, including the use of alternative insect predators or entomopathogenic fungi.

Oulenziella bakeri Hughes is a promising alternative prey for mass rearing of predatory mites. However, little is known regarding the effects of different temperatures on the population growth of O. bakeri. In the present study, the developmental duration, survival rate, longevity, fecundity, and sex ratio of O. bakeri were observed under laboratory conditions at 16°C, 20°C, 24°C, 28°C, and 32°C. The developmental duration and whole generation time of O. bakeri shortened with increasing temperature, except for the protonymphal duration, which was the shortest at 24°C. The maximum fecundity of O. bakeri was recorded at 28°C (176.73 eggs/ female) but did not significantly differ from that at 24°C (173.80 eggs/female). The sex ratio for the progeny of O. bakeri was female-biased, and showed no significant difference among 16°C, 20°C, and 24°C, but a significant decrease as the temperature further increased. Life table analysis indicated that the net reproductive rate of O. bakeri was highest at 28°C, with a value of 140.37. Furthermore, the intrinsic rate of increase (r_m) of O. bakeri ranged from 0.12 to 0.38, and increased with the temperature. Our findings suggested that temperatures of 24°C and 28°C were most suitable among the tested temperatures for rearing O. bakeri.

Two new species of oribatid mites of the superfamily Oripodoidea—Peloribates (Peloribates) ausobskyi sp. nov. (Haplozetidae) and Scheloribates (Perscheloribates) smetanai sp. nov. (Scheloribatidae)—are described from litter and upper soil stratum of Rhododendron–Lithocarpus mountain forest from eastern Nepal. Identification keys to the known species of Peloribates (Peloribates) and Scheloribates (Perscheloribates) from Nepal are provided.

Taxonomy of the subgenus Anthoseius De Leon (Acari: Phytoseiidae) has become challenging and often causing confusions among taxonomists. We here provide complementary descriptions of three species, T. (A.) bengalensis Karmakar et al., T. (A.) bulbosis Karmakar et al., and T. (A.) serrulatus Ehara, based on the specimens collected from Karnataka, India. During the identification of our specimens, we observed several important morphological differences between the new specimens and the original descriptions of the first two species. The morphological differences include number of dorsal solenostomes (absence or presence of gd5), position of preanal pores, chelicera dentition including position of teeth, shape of calyx of spermatheca, and leg chaetotaxy including number of setae on genu II, number of macrosetae and shape of ventral setae. Since these characters are crucial for phytoseiid taxonomy, we decided to examine the type specimens of these two species. Our examination on their holotypes confirmed that the morphological characters mentioned above are different than those reported in their original descriptions, but identical to the complementary descriptions provided here. In addition, T. (A.) serrulatus has not been recognized by several acarologists and repeatedly described under different names. We proposed five new and three suspected synonymies for this species. Lastly, we also provided the first description of males of T. (A.) bengalensis.

Two species of Rubroscirus (Acari: Cunaxidae) were collected from the Eastern dry zone of Karnataka, India. Females and males of Rubroscirus sinensis Fan, 1992, collected from five different species of plants, are recorded for the first time from India and redescribed. The female of Rubroscirus karnatakaensis sp. nov. collected on three species of plants is described. This brings the total number of Rubroscirus species from India to three.

In this study we delved into the effects of royal jelly supplementation on the life history traits of Amblyseius herbicolus, a thelytokous predatory mite with potential in biological pest control. Royal jelly, a nutrient-rich substance from honeybees, is known for its diverse biological activities in various species. Our experiments showed the concentration-dependent impacts of royal jelly supplementation on A. herbicolus. While royal jelly positively influenced mite survival at low concentrations (5%), a trade-off emerged: increased survival came at the cost of reduced fecundity. Also, royal jelly reduced ovipositional and post-ovipositional duration. Remarkably, maternal royal jelly supplementation influenced the pre-ovipositional duration of A. herbicolus offspring, suggesting transgenerational effects. However, certain traits, such as developmental time, size at maturity, and lifespan of both parents and offspring, remained unaffected. Our findings emphasise the specificity of royal jelly's impact on different aspects of mite biology and the possibility of inducing adverse influences on life history traits. To fully harness the potential of royal jelly in dietary supplementation, further research exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying these interactions is imperative.

The genus Protozetes (Oribatida, Microzetidae) is recorded in Guatemala for the first time. A new species—Protozetes janosbaloghi sp. nov.—is described from damp litter in an alpine cloud forest in Guatemala. It differs from all known species of the genus in the number of the interlamellar apophyses, the morphology of the head of the bothridial seta, the ornamentation of the pteromorph, and the length of the interlamellar and notogastral setae. A revised generic diagnosis is presented. An identification key and data on distribution and habitat of the known species of Protozetes are provided.