A simple method has been devised for testing the pathogenicity of fungal pathogens, especially Hirsutella thompsonii, against the coconut eriophyid mite, Aceria guerreronis. Except one or two bracts of the inner whorl of the perianth, under which an active and healthy population of the mite was thriving, the rest of the five or four bracts were removed from a young nut and a suspension of conidia was injected into the thin space between the nut surface and the inner surface of the bract/s by gently lifting the bract/s but leaving it/them intact. The meristematic region of the nut that got exposed after the removal of bracts as well as the retained bract/s were sheathed with a stretched parafilm up to the green portion of the nut in such a manner that there were no gaps. The treated nuts were incubated under ambient conditions. At the end of 96 h, the parafilm was unwound and the bract/s was/were opened to observe infected mites on the inner surface of the bract/s and/or on the nut surface just below the detached bract/s under a stereozoom microscope. The fungus was isolated from the infected mites and upon fresh inoculation it could again produce disease in the mites and exhibit the same microand macro-morphology in culture after the second passage as well, thus satisfying Koch's postulates.

The survival and fecundity of the spider mite, Schizotetranychus bambusae Reck, on the detached leaves of the moso bamboo, Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel, from 1–4yr-old bamboo plants, were evaluated in the laboratory. The age-specific and time-specific life tables of the experimental populations of S. bambusae were constructed. The relationship between the population dynamics of this mite and 1–4yr-old bamboo plants was analyzed. The results showed that the survival of immature stages was 92.00%, 88.46%, 70.81%, and 94.34% when fed on the leaves from 1, 2, 3, and 4yr-old bamboo leaves, respectively. The mean number of eggs laid per female which were reared on leaves from four kinds of bamboo leaves, were 41.4, 37.3, 14.7, and 42.8, respectively. The trend index of population (I), net reproductive rate (R0), intrinsic rate of increase (rm) and finite rate of increase (λ) were 5.2073, 5.7719, 0.1117, 1.1182 on the 3yr-old bamboo leaves, respectively, and the population doubling time (DT) was the longest (6.2050d). However, when reared on the other three kinds of bamboo leaves (1, 2, and 4yr-old leaves), the values of the net reproductive rate (R0) were 22.1223, 16.6168, and 18.2853, respectively. The results indicated that the 3yr-old bamboo was disadvantageous for the experimental population increase of S. bambusae.

The biology of Cenopalpus irani Dosse, 1971 (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) was studied in 2003 on apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) trees in an orchard at Mahdasht region of Karaj, Iran, and under laboratory conditions at 32±1ºC, 52±3% R.H. and a 16L: 8D photoperiod. Overwintering females began their activities near the end of April and completed three generations per year. The mean time for development from egg to egg in the laboratory was 26.1±0.3 and 19.1±0.5 days for females and males, respectively. The average preoviposition, oviposition and postoviposition periods were 4.5±0.3, 4.1±0.3 and 2.0±0.2 days, respectively.

The insecticidal activity of 2% Celangulin E.C against some populations of Tetranychus cinnabarinus, including a susceptible strain (SS), a fenpropathrin-resistant strain (FeR) and an abamectin-resistant strain (AbR), was studied. Laboratory bioassays indicated that the toxicity of celangulin against the SS strain was highest, its LC₅₀ being 1.3883mg/L, compared with pyridaben (53.8446mg/L) and omethoate (116.0337mg/L), and the toxicity of celangulin against FeR (LC₅₀=1.3825mg/L) was almost the same as that of the SS strain, i.e. there was no cross resistance between celangulin and fenpropathrin. But the toxicity of celangulin against AbR (LC₅₀=6.9203mg/L) was inferior to that against SS, and its LC₅₀ value increased 4.98-fold, which showed that some cross resistance existed between celangulin and abamectin. The effect of celangulin E.C against T. cinnabarinus was higher than pyridaben and omethoate in a potted plant experiment. The dose of the celangulin's active ingredient that was needed to obtain 95% mite mortality was 1/40 of pyridaben and 1/60 of omethoate. In addition, carboxylesterase (CarE) activity inhibited by celangulin was correlated with the action mechanism of celangulin on T. cinnabarinus. Celangulin can therefore be used to control T. cinnabarinus, which harms vegetables, cotton and other agricultural crops.

Larvae of Amblyomma parvitarsum Neumann, 1901 were collected on a lizard, Liolaemus jamesi (Boulanger, 1891), captured on March 1, 2003 in the vicinity of Surire Salar (18°50′ S 69°06′ W, altitude 4250 m) within Surire National Park, which is located in the Andean Altiplano in the First Administrative Region of Chile. This is the first confirmed record of A. parvitarsum larvae on a lizard. The habitat where the infested lizard was found is shared with South American camelids, the hosts for adults of this tick species.

A total of 18 larvae of Ornithodoros mimon Kohls, Clifford & Jones, 1969 were found on vespertilionid bats deposited in the Annexes of the Colección Mamíferos Lillo, National University of Tucumán, Argentina, or captured alive and released. Thirteen larvae were collected on Argentinean bats: Eptesicus diminutus Osgood (Salta Province), Eptesicus furinalis (d´Orbigny) (Jujuy Province) and Histioutus macrotus (Poeppig) (Tucumán Province); the remaining specimens were obtained from E. furinalis in Uruguay (Departaments of Artigas and Montevideo). These first Argentinean records expand the known range of O. mimon, as do the records from Uruguay. Eptesicus diminutus and H. macrotus are new hosts for O. mimom, which appears to be a common bat tick in the southern Neotropics, with a range that probably includes Brazil.

Larvae, nymphs and males of Amblyomma pseudoconcolor Aragão, 1908 were collected from a single Zaedyus pichiy (Desmarest, 1804) (Xenarthra: Dasypodidae) captured in the Department of Lavalle (32º49'S 67º51'W), Province of Mendoza, Argentina, which is in the Monte phytogeographical province of the Chaco domain. Ticks were identified using conventional keys and 16S rDNA sequences. This is the most southwesterly collection of A. pseudoconcolor yet obtained and marks a new host record for this species, whose adults typically feed on dasypodids. The range of Z. pichiy in southern South America suggests that the distribution of A. pseudoconcolor is greater than currently realized and probably includes Chile.

Fifty-eight prostigmatid mite species belonging to ten families, collected from natural and cultivated soils in Argentina, are listed here. Twenty-one species and eighteen genera are recorded for the first time from Argentina.

One new species of Anoplocheylus from Iran, viz. Anoplocheylus malayeriensis sp. nov. and one from South Africa A. brevisetosus sp. nov. are described. This genus is now recorded for the first time from Iran. Anoplocheylus transiens Delfinado & Baker and A. aegypticus Baker & Atyeo, A. tauricus Livshitz & Mitrofanov and A. protea Womersley are re-described. A key to the new and known species of Anoplocheylus is given.

This paper describes one new genus, Neohoderus and four new species, Neohoderus choerospondias sp. nov. infesting Choerospondias axillaris (Roxb.) Burtt et Hill.; Rhyncaphytoptus acer sp. nov. infesting Acer davidii Franch; Diptilomiopus acronychia sp. nov. infesting Acronychia pedunculata (L.) Mig. and Diptacus liangfengjiangensis sp. nov. infesting Diospyros sp. from Guangxi province, China.

The genus Caligohomus Habeeb contains mites that live in aquatic or semi-aquatic habitats and is one of the more mysterious genera of the family Stigmaeidae. Herein we redefine the genus, redescribe the type species, C. aquaticus and describe a new species, C. durus from Florida, USA. We also discuss the relationship of Caligohomus to Cheylostigmaeus and to the family Homocaligidae.

On the basis of specimens collected from Ağri, Erzincan and Erzurum provinces, Turkey, descriptions and illustrations of Eupalopsellus olandicus Sellnick, 1949, the first Turkish record of the raphignathoid mite family Eupalopsellidae, and Mediolata petilus sp. nov., a new stigmaeid mite (resembles M. pentascuta (Zaher & Gomaa 1978) comb. nov. ) of the highly differentiated genus Mediolata Canestrini (Stigmaeidae), are given. It is the first report of the genus Mediolata Canestrini from Turkey. nov.

Tenuipalpus Donnadieu is the largest genus of the family Tenuipalpidae. Species of this genus mostly occur in warmer areas of Pakistan. Two new species, Tenuipalpus waqasii sp. nov. and Tenuipalpus jawadii sp. nov., from central Punjab are described in this paper. Both species belong to the sub-group bakeri of the genus Tenuipalpus.

Two new and two known species of the genus Brevipalpus are reported from Soan valley of Punjab of Pakistan. The new species, B. sahii and B. tiwanensis, are described and figured, whereas for the known species new collection data are provided.

The red palm mite, Raoiella indica Hirst. is reported for the first time from the Americas, in Martinica.

Dolichotetranychus ancistrus Baker & Pritchard (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) is re-described, based on the larva, protonymph, deutonymph and on adult specimens from New Zealand. The ontogenetic development of chaetotaxy in Dolichotetranychus is discussed.

The structure of sensilla on the palptarsus and tarsus I of Tetranychus truncatus Ehara was examined with light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. A small, peg-shaped sensillum (solenidion), two elongate sensilla with blunt ends (eupathidia) and three hair-like setae are found on the palptarsus. The solenidion and two eupathidia stained with silver nitrate indicating their porosity and TEM micrographs of these two types showed a hollow seta and dendrites in the lumen. These are characteristics of typical chemosensitive sensilla. The hair-like sensilla lack any staining, which denotes the non-porosity of sensilla and they are solid, having no lumen. These characteristics are typical of mechanosensitive sensilla. The sensilla of tarsus I of T. truncatus are chemoreceptors and mechanoreceptors similar to that occurs on the palptarsus. The two elongate and tapered solenidia with distinct sockets forming part of the duplex setae were stained with silver nitrate which indicated their porosity. The three eupathidia were also stained with silver nitrate, revealing their porosity. These sensilla situated on the palptarsus and tarsus I are the structures for perceiving chemicals in the environment involved in mating, feeding and host plants specificity behaviors of mites.

One new record of the genus Steneotarsonemus (Parasteneotarsonemus) and one new species of the genus Dendroptus are described and illustrated. Steneotarsonemus (Parasteneotarsonemus) phyllopherus (Ewing) was collected inside the leave sheath of bamboo plants in Tongbai, Henan province. Dendroptus tricollis sp. nov. was collected in samples of bark on a tree Melia azedarach L. in Shunchang, Fujian province, China.

Leptus iguacuicus sp. nov., L. adaminae sp. nov. and L. fozicus sp. nov. (Acari: Prostigmata: Erythraeidae) from Brazil are described and illustrated. Leptus onnae Haitlinger is reported for the first time from Brazil. A key to larvae of Leptus from Neotropical and Nearctic Region is provided.

Erythraeus (E.) kacperi sp. nov. (Acari: Prostigmata: Erythraeidae) is described from Phnom Penh (Cambodia). Leptus laviniacus Haitlinger, Charletonia shiryoama Yaita et al. and C. volzi (Oudemans) are reported for the first time from Cambodia. Vagatotrombium lissae Haitlinger, L. astrubali Haitlinger and C. volzi (Oudemans) are reported for the first time from Myanmar.

Erythraeus (Erythraeus) garmsaricus sp. nov. and E. (E.) hypertrichotus sp. nov. are described and illustrated from Garmsar (Semnan province) and Tabriz (East Azarbaijan province), Iran, respectively. A key to species of the subgenus Erythraeus with short anteromedian setae (AM) of the world (larva) is provided. Also differential diagnoses of this group are discussed.

Momorangia gabini sp. nov. (Acari: Prostigmata: Erythraeidae) is described from a plant in Kenya. This new species can be distinguished from other larval Momorangia by high number of dorsal and ventral setae.

Eutrombidium sorbasiensis sp. nov. is described from the Gypsum Karst of Sorbas, Almeria. It is similar to E. felmanmuhsamae Feider, 1977 in the lanceolate AL scutalae, but some characters, mainly the leg chetotaxy, allows us to describe a new species. This is the first time a Eutrombidium (larva) is described from Spain.

A new species of sand-mite, Schoengastiella (Dureniella) irani, sp. n., collected from Rattus sp. in Iran, is described. This is the first Palearctic species known to belong to subgenus Dureniella and, as such, is apparently conspecific with material collected in the Kyrgyz Republic and incorrectly identified by Kudryashova as Schoengastiella (Dureniella) wansoni Wolfs et Vercammen-Grandjean, an Afrotropical species.

Boetophela cassandrae sp. nov. is described and illustrated from a Cetoniinae beetle from the Republic of South Africa. Tamarangia nimfae Haitlinger is reported for the first time from the Republic of South Africa.A key to the species (females) of Boetophela is provided.