Persian Journal of Acarology
Volume:8 Issue: 3, Summer 2019

Larvae of Eatoniana lorestanicus (Saboori & Lachinani, 2003) (Acari: Erythraeidae) were collected ectoparasitic on Sphingonotus sp. (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Oedipodinae) in Chahkand village, Birjand city, South Khorasan province, Iran. New morphological data of E. lorestanicus is presented. Eatoniana lorestanicus, Southcottella nematii Saboori, 2002 and Nothrotrombidium birjandensis Noei, 2017 were recorded for the second time from Iran. Caradrina clavipalpis (Scopoli) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and the genus Sphingonotus were recorded as host of Nothrotrombidium and Eatoniana larvae for the first time, respectively. A key to species of Eatoniana of the world (larvae) is provided.

The first investigations of the Copidognathus (Trouessart, 1888) halacarid mite fauna of Antalya are reported here. Thirteen species have been found from various macroalgae and sandy sediments. They belonged to the following species: Copidognathus brachystomus Viets, 1940, C. dentatus Viets, 1940, C. gibbus (Trouessart, 1889), C. lamelloides Bartsch, 2000, C. longirostris (Trouessart, 1896), C. loricifer André, 1946, C. magnipalpus (Police, 1909), C. majusculatus (Trouessart, 1894), C. oculatus (Hodge, 1863), C. quadricostatus (Trouessart, 1894), C. remipes (Trouessart, 1894), C. septentrionalis (Halbert, 1915) and C. tabellio (Trouessart, 1894). Of these, C. dentatus, C. gibbus, C. lamelloides, C. longirostris, C. loricifer, C. majusculatus, C. oculatus, C. quadricostatus, C. remipes and C. septentrionalis are new to the Turkish halacarid fauna. Each species is illustrated and briefly described with notes and lastly showed on a Turkish map.

Turkey has a certain special garlic variety called “Taşköprü garlic”, (Allium sativum L.), which is an important agricultural crop, besides being especially tolerant aganist extreme climatic conditions. This study was carried out to determine harmful mite species of garlic fields and storages during 2015–2016. The samples were collected from Kastamonu (Taşköprü, Hanönü and Centrum) with a weekly interval between April to August. Twelve mite species represented two orders (Prostigmata and Oribatida [Astigmatina]); the identified species belong into five families, including Acaridae (seven species), Glycyphagidae (two species), Tetranychidae (one species), Tarsonemidae (one species) and Eriophyidae (one species). These results showed that Kastamonu has rich biodiversity, especially concerning the garlic groving areas and storages. Rhyoglyphus robini Clarapède (Acaridae) was found as the most abundant and common species with a frequency of 71.35% in Hanönü, while Tyrophagus putrescentia (Schrank) (Acaridae) was identified as the most populated species.

Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of two pea cultivars, regular and sweet as substrates on biological aspects and life table analysis of two phytoseiid species, Cydnoseius negevi (Swirski & Amitai) and Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) fed on nymphs of Tetranychus urticae Koch under laboratory conditions of 27 ± 1 ℃, 70–80 % RH and 16L:8D h photoperiod. The development was faster and reproduction of N. californicus was higher compared with C. negevi. The predatory mite N. californicus showed the highest fecundity when reared on sweet pea cultivar, while C. negevi exhibited the lowest fecundity when reared on regular pea cultivar. Rearing C. negevi on the two pea cultivars led to the greatest female longevity than that of N. californicus. Feeding capacity of females during oviposition period was the highest for N. californicus on sweet pea, but it was the lowest for C. negevi on regular pea cultivar. Life table analysis showed that the shortest mean generation time (T) for N. californicus (13.01 days) compared with C. negevi (14.65 days) on sweet pea cultivar. Also, the intrinsic rate of increase (rm) of N. californicus was 0.29 female/female/day, but the rm value was 0.24 female/female/day for C. negevi on sweet pea substrate. Therefore, it can be concluded that the two predatory mites, C. negevi and N. californicus, are efficient biological control agents against T. urticae on the two pea cultivars.

Two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) and silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hem.: Aleyrodidae) are among the most destructive pests under greenhouse conditions which is primirarily countered using chemical pesticides. Due to insecticidal and acaricidal effectiveness of Spiromesifen (Oberon®), agricultural producers extensively used this chemical to control both whitefly and spider mite populations. In the present study, effects of recommended concentration of Spiromesifen on some biological and behavioral attributes of predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) feeding on different ratios of two-spotted spider mite and silverleaf whitefly were investigated. Different treatments were defined as 1 (150 immature stages of mite + 0 immature stages of whitefly), 2 (120 mite + 30 whitefly), 3 (90 mite + 60 whitefly), 4 (75 mite + 75 whitefly), 5 (60 mite + 90 whitefly), 6 (30 mite + 120 whitefly) and 7 (0 mite + 150 whitefly). According to the results, mortality percentage of adult individuals was not significantly affected by different ratios of prey. With increasing ratio of preys tested in experimental arena, feeding activity of predatory mite on both preys was increased. However, in the case of T. urtice, linear relation observed between the initial number of mite offered and number of mite eaten was more significant. Reproductive responses of female predators to different ratios of mixed preys had no specified trend. Furthermore, switching behavior was not detected in female predators. Our results have considerable role for increasing biological efficacy of A. swirskii in integrated management programs of different pests.

Plants are continuously exposed to a broad range of environmental stresses. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is found to be seventh major world food crop widely attacked by several pests including a generalist herbivore, Tetranychus urticae Koch. We investigated the transcriptome signature of some genes (two Pathogen Related Protein (PR3 and PR4), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), Lipoxygenase (LOX), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and (E)-β-ocimene synthase (OS)) in four common bean accessions which have been previously recognized to be resistant to Tetranychus urticae (two varieties with the highest degree of resistance, i.e. Naz and Ks41128, and the two varieties with the lowest degree of resistance, Akthar and G11867) in response to single stress (only T. urticae infestation) versa dual stress combinations (moderate drought stress and T. urticae infestation). Drought pretreatment significantly modified the transcriptome signature of some Phaseolus vulgaris varieties infested with T. urticae. The obtained results addressed for the impact of combined stresses at the transcriptome level, with some gene expression (PAL in Naz, Akhtar, LOX in Naz and Akhtar, PR4 in Akhtar and Ks41128, PR3 in Ks41128 and OS in Ks41128 and G11867) increasing after multiple stresses but not after single stress. Drought stress could alter the gene expression pattern in genotypes regardless of their resistibility/susceptibility to the spotted spider mite. Collectively, the results highlight the complex nature of multiple stress responses and that common bean varieties responses to multiple stresses are complicated as well as unpredictable.

The extract of some plants has acaricidal properties that can be used for controlling arthropods. This study reports the effects of Consolida orientalis (Ranunculaceae) extract on the larval stage of Argas persicus (Acari: Argasidae). In order to determine the efficacy of the extract on the larval stages and mortality of ticks, the dipping method was used. To determine the lethal concentration, three suspensions 1%, 10% and 100% from this extract and distilled water as a control group were used. This extract showed pesticide effects in comparison with the control group on the larval stage of tick (p < 0.05%). It showed 100% mortality with minimum concentration for larvae. According to the results and the abundance of this plant, it is suggested that more work must be done on the effect of the C. orientalis extract on the different life stages of hard and soft ticks.

Species of the family Stigmaeidae (Acari: Trombidiformes) live in soil and on plants in various parts of the world, are usually predators of other mites and a few prey on tree-associated arthropods or parasitize flies (Swift, 1987; Fan & Zhang, 2005). It is the largest family within the superfamily Raphignathoidea, and was established by Oudemans (1931). This family includes about 600 species in 33 valid genera (Fan et al., 2016; Doğan et al., 2017; Doğan, 2019; Akyol 2019; Khaustov 2019). The genus Stigmaeus is one of the largest and most diverse genera in the family, contains 143 valid species up to now and so far 43 species of this genus were recorded or described from Iran (Khanjani et al. 2015; Fan et al., 2016; Khaustov et al. 2017; Da-Costa et al. 2018; Akyol 2019; Majidi et al. 2019). During 2018, the fauna of Raphignathoidea mites in Arasbaran Forests was studied. Mites were extracted from samples using a Berlese-Tullgren funnel and they were cleared in lactophenol fluid for some days and finally mounted in Hoyer’s medium. Among collected species of the genus Stigmaeus, S. diversus was identified. This species originally was described from Uzbekistan by Barilo (1987), and has been just reported only from that country. In this work we are reporting it from Iran, too.

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are one of the most successful and widespread vectors of zoonotic pathogens of medical interest. Most ticks use a wide spectrum of vertebrate hosts, including tortoises. They are obligatory ectoparasitic blood sucking arthropods on egg laying (ovipositing) and/or mammalian hosts. The present investigation was part of a wider survey to study the fauna of wild ticks on primarily selective domesticated mammals and subsequently the likely tick infection with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus RNA. Ticks were morphologically identified to species level using a valid regional taxonomic key. They were subsequently processed for the presence of CCHF virus RNA using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). During this survey, two natural tortoises were found infested with ticks at highland. Hard tick species of Hyalomma marginatum marginatum, Hy. marginatum rufipes and Hy. marginatum aegyptium were found in attachment to two Eastern spur-thighed tortoise species of Testudo graeca (Reptilia: Testudinidae) for the first time in southeast Iran. These host tortoises were discovered at high altitude region of about 2800-2900m above sea level in the vicinity of a village in Jiroft county, Kerman province, Iran. None of these tortoise-associated ticks were infected with CCHF virus RNA. Since herd breeding nomads often climb to highland to improve animal grazing in open shrub land, the importance of infestation with wild ticks potentially infected with various pathogens is described.

There is a few book on a family of mites which be comprehensive like this book. Mites of this family are associated with main orders of Insects, i.e. Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Orthoptera and Isoptera which are important in the agriculture. Most members of the family are ectoparasites. This book includes detailed morphology and systematics of Otopheidomenidae as well as comments of the author. Experience is very important in systematics and the author, Dr. Vikram Prasad is published this book after his many year works on otopheidomenids. Morphology is discussed in detail including all parts of the body which I never seen before in any reference and in systematic part, diagnosis and redescription for many species and remarks or note for each species as well as a key to familes of Phytoseioidea, and to subfamilies, genera and species of Otopheidomenidae s. str. are given.