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A new species, Ficotarsonemus bancroftisp. nov., is described from female and male mites from within the syconium of the sandpaper fig Ficus coronata Spin collected from southeast Queensland, Australia. We summarize records of fig mites (Tarsonemidae: Tarsonemellini) to date and provide a key to genera and species. Paper LSID: Species LSID: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Storchia pacifica (Summers, 1964) is redescribed from specimens intercepted by staff of the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry from Cambodia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Laos, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Nigeria, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Uganda, Vanuatu, and Vietnam. Most of the specimens were intercepted on products made from woven natural fibre such as mats and baskets. The specimens show variation in the form of their dorsal setae, which are slender and tapered to strongly clavate distally. Otherwise, dorsal and leg chaetotaxy is consistent, as is the characteristic pattern of body striation of this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a new species ofParacarophenaxCross based on females found attached to the larvae of threeMycetophagussp. (Coleoptera: Mycetophagidae) collected from the fungusPleurotus ostreatus(Agaricales: Pleurotaceae) in Alberta, Canada. These mites exhibit a novel means of attachment: instead of grasping one of the host’s setae, adhesive pads are deposited on the host’s cuticle and gripped by the mite’s opposed tarsus I claw and uncinate setauʺ. We hypothesize that the glue-like material is exuded from the mite’s mouth. The mite’s association with the larval beetle represents pre-parasitic (these mites are parasitoids of beetle eggs) and pre-phoretic (mites disperse on adult beetles) attendance of the host and is a rare record of phoretic (as opposed to feeding) attachment to a pre-adult stage in the Heterostigmatina. This mite is also the first record of the Acarophenacidae from the Mycetophagidae. We provide updated keys to the genera of Acarophenacidae and to species ofParacarophenaxand moveParacarophenax dermestidarumtoAethiophenax, i.e.Aethiophenax dermestidarum(Rack 1959)comb. nov. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:507550D8-1E3C-48F2-B277-A9D471E21468 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flat miteDolichotetranychus australianus(Womersley, 1943) – a significant pest ofCynodonturfgrasses in Australia and Africa – is redescribed on the basis of new Australian material collected fromC. dactylon(bermudagrass, green couchgrass) and its hybridC. dactylon×transvaalensis. All active life stages are described, leg chaetotaxy is provided, anomalous features are noted and the specimens compared with type material. The species is widespread in Queensland and is probably present anywhere thatC. dactylonis grown in Australia, as indicated from its presence in other states. Photographs of its colonies and damage to turfgrass are presented, and damage symptoms are compared with similar damage caused byAceria cynodoniensis(Trombidiformes: Eriophyidae).Dolichotetranychus summersPritchard and Baker, 1952 known fromC. dactylonin California, is redescribed from type material and confirmed as a species distinct fromD. australianus, with both sexes ofD. summersilacking genital setaeg2, coxal seta2band the subcapitular setam. MaleD. summersialso have two solenidia on tarsi I–II and have an aedeagus approximately one-third the length (65 μm) that ofD. australianus(ca. 200 μm). The speciesDolichotetranychus riyadhensisAlatawi and Kamran, 2015 is considered a junior synonym ofD. australianus, and ontogenetic leg chaetotaxy ofDolichotetranychus zoysiaeEhara, 2004 is provided and corrected. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A new tribe, Obuloidini tr. nov. Beard, Ueckermann & Seeman, is proposed to include the genera Krugeria Meyer, Obuloides Baker & Tuttle and two new genera, Bauchania gen. nov. Beard & Seeman and Krobuloides gen. nov. Ueckermann. The genus Krugeria is revised, with the redescription of the type species Kru. ramosa Meyer (based on type material) and the addition of four new species, Kru. neseri sp. nov. Beard & Seeman, Kru. tshipise sp. nov. Beard & Seeman, and Kru. esseleeae Ueckermann from South Africa, and Kru. ueckermanni Beard & Seeman from Australia (new generic record). A new genus from South Africa, Krobuloides gen. nov. Ueckermann, is described based on three new species, Kro. aydeni sp. nov. Ueckermann, Kro. eduani sp. nov. Ueckermann and Kro. waldoi sp. nov. Ueckermann. The genus Obuloides is revised with redescriptions of the following species, all based on type material: the type species O. rajamohani Baker & Tuttle from India; O. rimando Corpuz-Raros from The Philippines; and O. crinitus Maake & Ueckermann, O. flavae Ueckermann, Theron & Tiedt, O. inquilinus Ueckermann et al., O. namibiensis Ueckermann et al., O. occidentalis Ueckermann et al., and O. ruginosus Ueckermann et al. from South Africa. A new genus, Bauchania gen. nov. Beard & Seeman, is described from Australia, based on two new species, B. dampiera sp. nov. Beard & Seeman and B. goodenia sp. nov. Beard & Seeman. A discussion of the character states shared by these four genera is presented, with a key to separate them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterostigmatic mites (Heterostigmata) are highly diverse, have symbiotic associations with various insects and occur worldwide. Despite Australia's rich insect biodiversity, little is known about its heterostigmatic mites. In this study, we conducted a preliminary study on heterostigmatic mites associated with beetles in eastern Australia and found four species, of which three were new: Caraboacarus stammeri Krczal, 1959 (Caraboacaridae) and Eutarsopolipus orpheus Katlav & Seeman, sp. nov., (Podapolipidae) associated with Australian‐endemic Gnathaphanus melbournensis (Castelnau, 1867) (Carabidae); Hoplocheylus australiensis Katlav & Seeman, sp. nov., (Tarsocheylidae) phoretic on Australian‐endemic Mastachilus quaestionis (Kuwert, 1891) (Passalidae); and Pavania gazellatris Katlav & Seeman, sp. nov., (Dolichocybidae) phoretic on introduced Digitonthophagus gazella (Fabricius, 1787) (Scarabaeidae). The species of Caraboacaridae, Dolichocybidae and Tarsocheylidae are the first species records of these families in Australia. It is likely that two of the three new species are Australian endemics, while P. gazellatris may be a more recent arrival on introduced dung beetles, possibly arriving with imports of exotic adult dung beetles. Furthermore, we provide an overview of the heterostigmatic mite fauna of Australia that consists of less than 90 species belonging to 13 families, with representatives of all known seven superfamilies. These mites have so far been mostly reported on beetles but also on other insect orders (Blattodea, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera, Thysanoptera). Our findings of three new species and one new record based on the analysis of a relatively small number of specimens and beetle species suggest that more comprehensive studies of host insect taxa will reveal a substantially larger Australian diversity of heterostigmatic mites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of the genus Tenuipalpus Donnadieu, 1875 (Acari: Trombidiformes: Tenuipalpidae), namely Tenuipalpus etemadiisp. nov. from Aerva sp. (Amaranthaceae) and Phragmites australis (Poaceae), is described from Iran (Kerman Province). This species belongs to the caudatus species group, bakeri subgroup. This subgroup is briefly reviewed, and a strong biogeographic pattern noted: those species that are also considered part of Tenuipalpus sensu stricto or are close to it, are almost entirely Nearctic (15/16 species), while the remaining 21 species are generally Palaearctic, with just one species from the Nearctic region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new tetranychine spider mites are described from Astragalus in Iran: Tetranychus neosalsolaesp. nov. and Augeriflechtmannia astragalussp. nov. The possible close relationship between the new species prompted us to review the genus AugeriflechtmanniaKoçak & Kemal, 2008—formerly DiplonychusAuger & Flechtmann, 2003. We refine the genus diagnosis and move Tetranychus armeniacaBagdasarian, 1951 and Tetranychus iraniensis Mahdavi & Ueckermann, 2013 to Augeriflechtmannia and discuss the possible synonymy of these species. The genus now comprises five species from Armenia, Iran and Tunisia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]