hadi ostovan

The Silver Y, Autographa gamma and the Turnip moth, Agrotis segetum are considered amongst the most important agricultural pests in the world and Iran. In this paper, the potential distribution of these species in Iran and the important climatic factors affecting their distribution were determined using MaxEnt model, R package and ArcGIS based on their occurrence data. The results showed that, the most suitable areas in both species, are restricted to the northern Provinces; but in A. segetum the Bushehr Province, parts of the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari and Kohgiluyeh, and Boyerahmad Provinces, and the north of Fars are also suitable. The main environmental variables contributing to their distribution were isothermality (bio2/bio7) (bio3), average wind speed in August (wind8), and precipitation seasonality (coefficient of variation). Moreover, precipitation of the driest quarter (bio17) and precipitation of the wettest quarter (bio16) were dominant climatic factors in Au. gamma and A. segetum, respectively. Additionally, the altitude had a major effect in distribution model of A. segetum. Having knowledge about the suitable areas for these species considering their host preferences will be effective in providing their management programs.

The bordered straw, Heliothis peltigera (Denis & Schiffermüller) is a well-known agricultural pest of some economically important plants throughout the world and Iran. In this paper, suitable areas for the potential distribution of this species in Iran were predicted using MaxEnt model, R package and ArcGIS based on its occurrence data and the bioclimatic factors. Moreover, the important climatic factors affecting their potential distribution were investigated. Based on the results of this study, the most suitable areas for this species are Gilan and Mazandaran Provinces. Additionally, most parts of the Bushehr Province and southern parts of the Hormozgan Province as well as western parts of the West Azarbaijan, Kordestan and Kermanshah Provinces have suitable conditions compared with the other areas. The main environmental variables contributing their distribution were precipitation of the wettest quarter (bio16), average wind speed in August (wind8) and May (wind5), and isothermality (bio2/bio7) (bio3). Predicting the distribution of this pest in the areas with high cultivation of its main hosts, can be important in the development of pest control strategies, obviously.

The first step in biodiversity studies and integrated pest management is to identify the species in the region. This research was conducted in order to identify the fauna of mites under the order Mesostigmata (Acari: Mesostigmata) from gardens and fields of the Kharameh region of Fars province during 2014-2016. In this research, 10 species from 5 families belonging to mites of the inter-stigma order were collected and identified. Among the collected families, Uroobovella obovata Canestrini & Berlese, 1884 from the Trematuridee family had the highest frequency (18.54%), and Neodiscopoma splendida and Nenteria stylifera Berlese, 1904 from the Uropodidae and Trematuridee families with frequencies of 14.83 and 90% respectively. 13% were in the next rank. It should be mentioned that the identification of these species has not been reported from the Kharameh region of Fars province.

Mites are one of the largest groups of Arachnida with global distribution. Mesostigmatic mites are the largest order (in both number and distribution) among super order mites Parasitiformes. In a recent study by Fauna Mesostigmatic mites were studied as biodiversity index from Darab region (Fars province-Iran).Continuous tree soil sampling was done in the spring and summer of 2021and 2022 from the northern and southern orchards. In total, the number of 1641 specimens belonging to 37 species from 15 families and 18 plant hosts were collected in two replicates. Variance analysis in the form of factorial experiment with three factors of year, region and season with two replications based on completely random design and mean comparisons based on Duncan's test at probability level of 5% using Minitab 16 software and biodiversity index using Past software (version 4.02) was done. The highest frequency of mites collected in fruit orchards in the north and south of Darab region in 2021 and 2022, it was related to orange tree with 688 specimens. Total mite specimens collected in North and South in both 2021 and 2022, it showed that the Laelapidae family had the highest percentage among the 15 investigated families. In this research, two species Nenteria n.sp. and Macrodinychus n.sp. were new to the world that is being described.

The Bombyliidae family with around 5382 described species is one of the most important families in order Diptera considering their remarkable roles in biological pest control. Species of the family Bombyliidae were monitored in Guilan province in 2019 and 2020. We aimed to evaluate their biodiversity in the grasslands along with the determining Simpson and Margalef indexes. Totally 20 species from 11 genera in 2019 and 17 species from 10 genera in 2020 were identified in eight selected stations. The highest numbers of Bombyliids individuals were observed in Heiran pass station in 2019. Surprisingly the lowest number of individuals also was present in Heiran pass station in 2020. The results of ecological indices also showed the highest Margalef index in Darestan station (2.18) in 2019 and the lowest observed in Bivazen station (0) and Rudbar- Loockhee (0) in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Also, the highest values for the Simpson index were recorded in Bivazen (1) in 2019 and Rudbar- Loockhee (1) in 2020. The lowest values of the Simpson index have been recorded for Amlash (0.13) stations as well. It seems that climate and ecological condition changes in different years clearly affect the insect biodiversity indexes via making changes in their population dynamics.

Agroecosystems containing edaphic Mesostigmata mites are considered important predators of nematodes, collembola, and insects, and those living on plants may be effective at controlling pests like spider mites. In the present research study, we provide new information about the Edaphic Mesostigmata mites known from the Isfahan metropolis in the central Iran based on the new field collection in 2019. In totally, thirty-two edaphic species belong to 13 families, and 25 genera collected and identified from Isfahan province (central Iran), of which four species are new records for the fauna of Iran (indicated by an asterisk). Twelve new provincial distribution records viz., Asca aphidioides (Linnaeus, 1758), Blattisocius tarsalis (Berlese, 1918), Cosmolaelaps claviger (Berlese, 1883), Gaeolaelaps neoaculeifer (Hrischmann, 1966)*, Gymnolaelaps obscuroides (Costa, 1968), Hypoaspis quadridentatus (Allred, 1970)*, Hypoaspisella asperatus (Berlese, 1904)*, H. patagoniensis (Sheals, 1962)*, Neoseiulus bicaudus (Wainstein, 1962), Parasitus mycophilus (Karg, 1971), Pogonolaelaps canestrinii (Berlese, 1903) and Polyaspis berlesei (Camin, 1954) are presented.

Biodiversity and sustainable development are important goals in environmental protection that in order to have high biodiversity, it is necessary to identify and preserve ecosystems and all species of animals and plants as well as microorganisms in it. Predator bugs (Heteroptera) are efficient predators in most agroecosystems, which have powerful role for control of agricultural pests. These beneficial insects were evaluated under four categories a/ species diversity, b/ percentage of relative abundance and structure of species composition, c/ habitat similarity index, and d/ population fluctuation in sugar beet fields of six provinces (Isfahan, Hamadan, Golestan, Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari, West Azarbaijan and Khuzestan) during 2009-2013. In this research, in total of 24 species under six families, Anthocoridae (eight species, two genera), Geocoridae (three species, single genus), Miridae (three species, single genus), Nabidae (three species, single genus) and Reduviidae (seven species, seven genera) were collected and identified. Additionally, totally 216 specimens of predator bugs were collected from sugar beet fields, which Orius albidipennis, O. laevigatus and O. laticollis with 11.1%, 10.6% and 9.7% of percentage of relative abundance, respectively have the highest abundance among all the species and are dominant species. The highest habitat similarity was obtained between Myandoab (West Azarbaijan province) and Dezful (Khuzestan province) (57.1%). The maximum population density (3.92) was obtained in July.

Pistachio is one of the most important agricultural products of the country.  It is extremely important and accounts for about 81 percent of the country's non-oil revenues. In this study, the degradation of two pesticides, metacystox and fenitrithion was investigated by ultraviolet radiation. These three pesticides are commonly used in a wide range in pistachio gardens in the country. One of the most important agricultural and plant protection tasks is to produce safe crops with residual pesticides below the MRL level. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of UV radiation combined with the photocatalytic effect of titanium dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on the degradation of these two pesticides in pistachio products.The samples were extracted by LLE method and determinated by GC-MS. Exposur times were 30, 60,120 and 300 minutes.The results showed that the highest percentage of degradation of pesticides was related to metasystox and affected by uv / H2O2 at 38.5%. The optimum time in all trials was 300 min. UV irradiation alone at 300 min time on metasistox and fenitrothion in pistachio reduced the toxin by 24/2and 17/1, respectively.Experiments showed that degradation of the studied toxins was possible using UV irradiation and the destructive effect of UV on chemical structures was proved in experiments. Therefore, UV radiation in a specific dose can remove residues of pistachio pesticides. Combined with UV agents, hydrogen peroxide and titanium dioxide can more effectively remove contamination from agricultural products.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the species diversity of mites among stigmata in 2018- 2019 in the Kamphirouz region of Fars province, Iran. For sampling, 2 regions were considered. Continuous soil sampling was performed every 2 weeks. A total of 881 specimens belonging to 22 species from 10 genera and 6 families were collected. Biodiversity indices were calculated using Microsoft Excel 2016 software. The results showed that due to the location of 11 out of 22 species in the family Laelapidae, the species of this family with a total of 33.94%, had the highest presence in both north, south and in total. Also, Neoseiulus barkeri was the dominant species, with the total of 24.29% and also, the highest abundance among the both regions. The  Shannon-Wiener, Simpson, Margalf, Manhing and Pete species diversity indices were calculated in two regions, separately for each season. In general, all indices except the Pitt index in the northern region were much higher than the southern region. Family indices are not significantly different in the two regions.

Species diversity is one of the most important indicators of changes in ecosystems. This subject always considered as a significant point in ecosystem. Mesotigmatid mites are the largest order among Parasitiformes mites. The main purpose of this survey was evaluating of species diversity of mites among Mesotigmata during the 2018 in Shiraz city. In each region, 2 habitats of urban green space (Landscape) trees and orchard trees were selected. Continuous soil sampling was performed every 2 weeks. A total of 1252 specimens belonging to 22 species from 11 families and 8 host plant were collected. Calculation of biodiversity indices based on species abundance and data analysis using Simpson, Shannon-Wiener, Pete, Manning and Margalf indices, using Microsoft Excel 2016 was calculated. Our finding shower that biological indicators are significantly different according to vegetation and sampling seasons. Based on LSD test to compare indices in different seasons of the year, spring with 0.913 Simpson indices, Shannon-Wiener 2.569, Pete 0.9482, and Margalf 2.815 had the highest values while in the index. Also according to this test, green space had the highest indices with 0.837 Simpson, 2.154 Shannon-Wiener, 1.362 Manning and 2.55.  the highest diversity observed relative frequency with 54.04% belonged to the Laelapidae family. The highest frequency of specimens among fruit trees was related to pomegranate with 204 and among urban green space trees belonged to poplar with 333 specimens.

 Pesticide residues and their derivatives in agricultural products are a serious threat to consumer’s health. Due to the use of barberry in the raw state, determination of the residual common pesticide residue is essential, which has not been done so far. This study aimed to evaluate the pesticide residues in the Berberis vulgaris by QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) extraction, and Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometry (GCMS) in Iran. In general, barberry fruit samples from Berberis vulgaris gardens from 6 different regions have been studied, in which Diazinon, Phosalone and Oxydemeton-methyl pesticides have been used, the durability of the effects of Diazinon, Oxydemeton-methyl and Phosalone pesticides on barberry extract was investigated within 15 days daily with three replicates‏. In this study, Diazinon has the least duration, until the 12th day. Oxydemeton-methyl has a weak downtrend in Barberry, and the Phosalone pesticide has more stability in this product during this investigation.   

Pesticides residues on foods are potentially toxic to humans and it is of great concern. They may induce adverse health effects such as cancer, effects on reproduction, immune and nervous system complications. One of the important goals of public and environmental health officials is reducing exposure to pesticide residues on foods. Food preparation highly influences the Pesticides residues and safety of the food. the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of storagewashing, peeling and storage on residue contents of four pesticides in cucumbers grown in greenhouses. this study was performed in which cucumber samples were harvested after spraying and their concentration was determined.In this section, the following processes were examined: Washing with drinking water: The samples were immersed in drinking water for 10 minutes and had a ten-second wear,.Cutting operations: In the other part, to evaluate the effect of peeling with a knife and tried to even remove the thickness of the skin taken for all The samples were of the same size, Storage operation at 4 ° C:, on the amount of relevant pesticide reduction. To carry out this stage of the study, at first, 1 kg of samples were transferred to the laboratory after harvesting. In the laboratory, samples were stored in plastic nylon in the refrigerator at 4 ° C and kept in the dark. On days 2, 5, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21 about one quarter kilogram of sample was taken out of the refrigerator and the extraction of the toxins was performed on them. The studied procedures as simple and effective processing methods could be used for reducing and removing pesticides on greenhouse products as home or commercial processing techniques. . Accordingly, Peeling is one of the other important techniques in the processing of most fruits and vegetables(P<0.05).. The comparison of the mean levels of four pesticides residues showed a significant difference between the peeled and unpeeled samples .The washing procedure is an important method to pesticide residue dissipation in both household and commercial food processing . The effect of this procedure depends on the type of pesticides and the locations affected.  Which indicates that compliance with the PHI (Per Harvest Interval) reduce the risks of residual pesticides.

The most common stored pests of date palm in Khuzestan province are Ephestia kuehniella Zeller and Oryzaephilus surinamensis (Linnaeus). Considering the importance of using microbial control agents in the integrated management of date palm pests, the interaction of these pathogens on control of these pests was investigated. In this study, we investigated the lethal concentration, compatibility and interaction effects of Bacillus thuringiensis and pathogenic fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana on populations of two species of pest. For this purpose, after larvae infestation using selective isolates tested and 10 days elapsed using combined cumulative mortality data of 50 and 99% for saw-toothed beetle larvae and the flour moth was calculated. Among the tested cases, the lowest LC50 was for M. anisopliae on moth larvae with 3.49×103 spores/ml. The highest amount of LC50 belonged to B. thuringiensis on saw-toothed beetle larvae equivalent to 2.69× 104 spores/ml. The highest mortality time of 50% for B. thuringiensis was 7.07 days. The lowest time of 50% lethality was 4.69 days for saw-toothed beetle larvae affected by B. bassiana. Spores of B. bassiana and M. anisopliae at all concentrations showed good computability with B. thuringiensis On the other hand, with increasing concentration of B. thuringiensis, the amount of compatibility index decreased. B. thuringiensis had synergistic effects in all treatments but the highest synergistic effect was observed in LC50 B. bassiana + LC50 Bt mixing on moth egg. Given the high compatible potential of B. bassiana and Bt, the possibility of exploiting this synergy is highly efficient to produce biocontrol.

Ethion is a broad-spectrum pesticide commonly used for control of insects on pistachio (Pistacia vera L.). The extensive use of pesticides on pistachio fruits has raised concerns about pesticide residues.  In this study, used UV radiation and TiO2 photocatalyst as decomposing agent to evaluate the rate of ethion degradation . The experiment in two modes,ethion spray on filter paper and pistachio fruit was conducted. Based on a series of pre-tests, the   Filter papers were treated with ethion,they were exposed to radiation inside the reactor at  appropriate time(5,10 and 20 hour).then pesticide residues were determinded on them.ethion degradation percentage respectively were(9.29,24.77and33.49%)at desired time.Additionally, two UV lamps in absence or presence of TiO2(200 mg/mL) were used to degradade ethion residue from pistachio fruits. All treatments had moderate efficiency for ethion removal from both filter papers and pistachio fruits. The efficiency was positively affected by time of exposure, number of UV light sources, and presence of TiO2. Although, this study showed the potential of UV radiation and TiO2 for ethion degradation from pistachio fruits, further studies are needed to optimize the experimental condition for enhancing the degradation efficiency.

Considering the importance of agricultural raw materials, especially tomatoes, which are considered as one of the main products of Iranian household basket and commonly used freshly, it is important to pay attention to the amount of pesticide residues in agricultural raw materials. In greenhouse for the control of pests, diazinon (60% EC), imidacloprid (35% SC), primicarb (50% WP) and acetamiprid (20% SP) are used. The aim of the present study was to assess the residual contents of four pesticides: diazinon, imidacloprid, primicarb and acetamiprid in greenhouse tomato (Solanum lycopersicum ) var.Izmir .The pesticides were applied on the above yields in a setting stage. Samples were taken daily, acetonitrile extracted, cleaned up using a silica gel column and residual contents of diazinon, imidacloprid, primicarb and acetamiprid were analyzed using a Liquid chromatography it an DAD detector (HPLC-DAD). The present results indicated that: imidacloprid and pirimicarb were found to be more persistent in greenhouse tomato (Solanum lycopersicum ) var.Izmir compared to other two tested pesticides; data also reported that the lowest residue level of <0.05 mg.kg-1 in in (Solanum lycopersicum ) var.Izmir was detected Investigation of the concentration of fluids two days after spraying showed the highest residue of primicarb pesticide at 10.90 mg / kg and then the acetamidprid dose of 9.6 mg / kg which after 5 to 7 days Less than half reduced, while the lowest remaining in the two premicarb and diazinon after 10 days is 0.81 and 0.09 mg / kg, respectively. According to the results of the research. Which indicates that compliance with the PHI (Per Harvest Interval) reduce the risks of residual pesticides

Agricultural products particularly fruits and vegetables are being sprayed frequently without considering the detrimental consequences of pesticides. Some farmers even do not observe the "No Harvest" period between the spraying and harvesting time. In farms for the control of pests, diazinon (60% EC), imidacloprid (35% SC), primicarb (50% WP) and acetamiprid (20% SP) are used. The aim of the present study was to assess the residual contents of four pesticides: diazinon, imidacloprid, primicarb and acetamiprid in crops( potato (Solanum tuberosum)) .The pesticides were applied on the above yields in a setting stage. Samples were taken daily, acetonitrile extracted, cleaned up using a silica gel column and residual contents of diazinon, imidacloprid, primicarb and acetamiprid were analyzed using a Liquid chromatography it an DAD detector (HPLC-DAD). The present results indicated that: imidacloprid and pirimicarb were found to be more persistent in potato var.chili compared to other two tested pesticides; data also reported that the lowest residue level of

The current paper presents new data on the distribution of 51 species of crabronid wasp (Hymenoptera: Spheciformes: Crabronidae) from the subfamilies Crabroninae (42 species of 15 genera and 5 tribes) and Pemphredoninae (9 species of 6 genera and two tribes) collected at 21 sampling sites in the Fars Province of Iran. Three species, Tachysphex nitidus (Spinola, 1806), Liris memnonius (F. Smith, 1856), and Spilomena mocsaryi Kohl, 1898 are newly added to the Iranian insect fauna. General distribution and Iranian localities are given for each species. The biogeographic affinities of the collected species are also discussed.

Pseudolynchia canariensis (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) is a parasite of pigeons but also a host for hyperparasitic mites living on the same avian hosts. Four species and subspecies of mites found on this louse fly, Myialges anchora, Promyialges italicus sp. nov., Promyialges lophortyx (Astigmata: Epidermoptidae), and Ornithocheyletia hallae hallae (Prostigmata: Cheyletidae), are described or redescribed. One new species of feather mites is described from Tuscany, Pisa, Italy, from Pseudolynchia canariensis (Mcquart, 1840) from Columba livia (Gmelin, 1789). This is the first report of the genera Myialges and Ornithocheyletia for the Iranian fauna, while the subspecies Ornithocheyletia hallae hallae represents a new report for Asia. Specimens of O. hallae from populations in Italy and in Iran differ morphologically. According to these findings, we recognized two subspecies, Ornithocheyletia hallae hallae and O. hallae similis.

Machrochelid mites are free-living predators common in habitats that are rich in decaying organic material including manure. Several species of macrochelid mites feed on the eggs and small larvae of fly pests and phoretic on the adults. During 2009-2010, the fauna of macrochelid mites in Ramjerd region was studied. The mites were extracted by Berlese funnel and cleared in Lactophenol, then were mounted in Hoyer’s medium on microscopic slides. Totally, 9 species belonging to two genera were collected and identified. Among identified specimens, four species are new records for Fars Province mite fauna that marked by an asterisk. The identification of two species is in the process of action. The species are listed as fallows:1- Glyptholaspis. confusa (Foa, 1900); 2- G. sp. 3- Macrocheles. merdarius (Berlese, 1889); 4- M. subbadius (Berlese, 1904); 5-M. peniculatus* (Berlese, 1918); 6- M. muscaedomesticae* (Scopoli, 1772); 7- M. glaber* (Muller, 1860); 8- M. perglaber* (Filipponi & Pegazzano, 1962); 9- M.. sp.1; 10- M. sp. 2; 11- M. sp.3.

The most important contamination of flour and wheat silos, are pests that damage them both quantitatively and qualitatively. Wheat stored in ticks infected with increasing heat and humidity is reduced wheat quality. In this study, a faunistic survey of flour and wheat mites during 2015 from different cities of Kurdistan province was conducted. During this study, 11 species of Trombidiformes, Sarcoptiformes and Mesostigmata belonging to nine families and 6 genera, were identified. All of them are new records for Kurdistan Province mite fauna. Among them, Erythraeussouthcotti(Goldarazena and Zhang, 1998) considered to be new records for mite fauna of Iran. The most abundant predator and pest mites were Cheyletus malaccensis (Oudemans) (Cheyletidae) and Rhizoglyphus echinopus (Fumouze & Robin) (Acaridae), respectively. The list of identified species is as follows:
Acaridae
Acarus siro Linnaeus, 1758
Rhizoglyphus echinopus (Fumouze & Robin, 1868)
Tyrophagus putrescentiae Schrank, 1781
Cheyletidae
Acaropsis sollers (Kuzin, 1940)
Cheyletus malaccensis Oudemans, 1903
Cheyletus eruditus (Schrank, 1781)
Blattisociidae
Blattisocius keegani Fox, 1947
Dermanyssidae
Liponyssoides sanguineus (Hirst, 1914)
Laelapidae
Pneumolaelaps lubrica (Voigts & Oudemans, 1904)
Erythraeidae
ErythraeusshojaiiSaboori and Babolmorad, 2000
ErythraeussouthcottiGoldarazena and Zhang, 1998

Erythraeus (Zaracarus) coleopterus Mortazavi, Hajiqanbar & Saboori, 2012 (Acari: Parasitengona: Erythraeidae) was described based on a single specimen from Kerman province, southeastern Iran, associated with a scarabaeid beetle, Cyphonoxia sp. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). This species reports for the second time from stored grain (off host) in Saqqez and Baneh cities, Kurdistan province, western Iran and presents new morphological data. Finding some specimens help us to augment and correct the original description of E. (Z.) coleopterus. A key to world larval species group of Erythraeus (Zaracarus) is presented which is modified and corrected from Mahmoudi et al. (2014).

Mites are one of the largest and most diverse subclasses of Arachnida with a worldwide distribution. The order includes 456 families and more than 56,000 species.
In this study, mesostigmatic soil mite fauna was studied as indicators of biodiversity in the 52-hectare Police park of the city of Tehran, Iran. The area of the park was divided into 7 sections in terms of their vegetational and geographical properties. Soil samplings were conducted through theyear and a total of 6167 mite specimens of 80 species were collected. Species diversity was calculated using Simpsons index of diversity and Shannon-Wiener index. Species richness was estimated using Menhinicks index and Margalefs diversity index and species evenness calculation was based on Peet and Hill.
Cheiroseius sp., Halolaelaps sp., Oplitis sp., Asca sp., Androlaelaps aegypticus, Pergamasus falculiger, Gamasiphis pulchellus, Cosmolaelaps lutegiensis, Macrocheles insignitus, Euandrolaelaps karawaiewi, Lasioseius youcefi, Proctolaelaps pygmaeus, Macrocheles peniculatus, Iphidozercon gibbus, Antennoseius masoviae, Pergamasus crassipes and Neogamasus cervicornis are reported here from Tehran for the first time. Uroseius (Apinoseius) sp. is new to Iran.

Functional response is considered as one of the most important predator-prey interactions which affected by different factors including host plant characteristics. The effect of leaf surface on functional response of Stethorus gilvifrons Mulsant in larval and adult stages to Tetranychus urticae Koch were studied on three hybrids of cucumber leaves. The results demonstrated that leaf surface of host plants, different prey densities and their interactions affect on the numbers of prey killed by a predator. Logistic regression indicated type III functional response for larvae on all hybrids and adult females on Fadia and Sulan hybrids and males on Fadia and Sina leaves. The results of handling time and attack rate emphasize on the importance of physical traits of plant on the performance and searching efficiency of natural enemies that should be considered for optimizing their application in mite biological control.

The alfalfa stem nematode, Ditylenchus dipsaci (Kühn) causes substantial damage to alfalfa crops in Iran every year. Rhizoglyphus robini Claparède is a polyphagous pest of bulbs, corms and tubers, but can be beneficial in some situations. This study examined the effect of R. robini as a predator of D. dipsaci in greenhouse conditions. Pot experiments showed that R. robini caused high mortality of D. dipsaci. The effect of R. robini density on mortality of D. dipsaci was mathematically modeled using the response surface methodology (RSM). These observations suggest that R. robini may contribute to regulate populations of this nematode.

Mites of family Erythraeidae are parasites in their larval stage and predators in their post-larval stages on a variety of arthropods, among which are important pest species. During 2011-2013, in a faunistic survey of mites associated with beetles of the family Chrysomelidae in Oil and Gas company of Gachsaranregion, Iran. Specimens were preserved in AG (alcohol 75%, glyserin 5%), cleared in lactophenol solution and mounted by Hoyer’s medium. Mite of the genus Leptus (Acari: Erythraeidae) was removed from larva and adult of Cassida persica Spaeth (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). The first time in the world C. persica was observed as a new host of Leptus n. sp. It is concluded that Leptus n. sp. can be considered as a valuable addition to the existing IPM methods for Chrysomelid control. Description of new species is in process.