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Phenolic compounds in pigeon pea possess various biological properties beneficial to human health. In this study, pigeon pea hairy root cultures (PPHRCs) were developed as an effective in vitro platform for the production of phenolic compounds. A high-productive hairy root line was screened and characterized, and its culture conditions were optimized in terms of biomass productivity and phenolic yield. The comparative profiling of 10 phenolic compounds in PPHRCs and pigeon pea natural resources (seeds, leaves, and roots) was achieved by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. The total phenolic yield in PPHRCs (3278.44 μg/g) was much higher than those in seeds (68.86 μg/g) and roots (846.03 μg/g), and comparable to leaves (3379.49 μg/g). Notably, PPHRCs exhibited superiority in the yield of the most important health-promoting compound cajaninstilbene acid (2996.23 μg/g) against natural resources (4.42-2293.31 μg/g). Overall, PPHRCs could serve as promising potential alternative sources for the production of phenolic compounds with nutraceutical/medicinal values.

Four new species of the feather mite genus Mesalgoides (Acariformes: Psoroptoididae: Pandalurinae) are described from passerine birds (Passeriformes) in China: Mesalgoides morrisonia sp. nov. from Alcippe morrisonia Swinhoe (Leiothrichidae), M. vinacea sp. nov. from Carpodacus vinaceus Verreaux (Fringillidae), M. flammicepis sp. nov. from Cephalopyrus flammiceps (Burton) (Paridae), and M. erythaca sp. nov. from Pyrrhula erythaca Blyth (Fringillidae).

Two new species of the feather mite genus Proctophyllodes (Analgoidea: Proctophyllodidae) are described from two passerine birds (Passeriformes) in China: Proctophyllodes scleroticus sp. nov. from the Brandt's Mountain Finch Leucosticte brandti pallidior (Fringillidae) and P. micrurus sp. nov. from the White-rumped Snow Finch Onychostruthus taczanowskii (Passeridae). Proctophyllodes scleroticus sp. nov. belongs to the tricetratus species-group, and differs from the most similar species P. petroniae Atyeo & Braasch, 1966 by the following characters: in male, the genital sheath is heavily sclerotized, peach shaped, and extending to the level of setae g, anal suckers are surrounded with a pair of membranes, and terminal lamella is relatively greater, and in female, lobar shield is divided into two independent shields by the anal opening and anal opening extends beyond the level of setae ps1, terminal appendage is long. Proctophyllodes micrurus sp. nov. belongs to the musicus species-group, and differs from the most similar species P. saltatoris Atyeo & Braasch, 1966 by the following characters: in male, genital arch and the anterior part of opisthogastric shield are about the same width, anal suckers are surrounded with a pair of membranes, genital organ extends to the anterior 1/3 of the level of setae g and setae ps3, terminal lamella are located closely to each other and slightly greater, and in female, lobar shields are medially divided into two halves, terminal appendages are small, about 1/10 of setae h3, edge of the cleft is almost horizontal.

Graphical abstract, Highlights • Chitosan elicitation was conducted for flavonoid enhancement in hairy root cultures. • Chitosan elicitation gave a 7.08-fold increase in flavonoid yield over control. • Chalcone synthase and flavonoid 3′-hydroxylase might be two crucial genes. • Chitosan elicitation can facilitate the commercialization of plant in vitro cultures., Elicitation for phytochemical enhancement via cost-effective elicitors can overcome the limitation of commercial application faced by plant cell and organ culture technology. Chitosan is a natural, low-cost, and nontoxic elicitor that can trigger plant defense responses with the concomitant enhancement in phytochemical biosynthesis. In this work, the elicitation of Isatis tinctoria L. hairy root cultures by chitosan was conducted to enhance the production of pharmacologically active flavonoids. In comparison with control (2.31 ± 0.29 mg/g DW), a 7.08-fold enhancement of total flavonoids (16.35 ± 0.88 mg/g DW) was achieved in 24 day-old I. tinctoria hairy root cultures elicited by 150 mg/L chitosan for 36 h. Interestingly, the multiple hydroxyl-substituted flavonoids (rutin, quercetin, isorhamnetin, and isoliquiritigenin) were noticed to increase significantly in chitosan-elicited I. tinctoria hairy root cultures. Moreover, the transcription of associated genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis pathway was significantly up-regulated underlying chitosan elicitation, among which chalcone synthase and flavonoid 3′-hydroxylase might play an important role in flavonoid enhancement. Additionally, extracts from chitosan-elicited I. tinctoria hairy root cultures exhibited higher antioxidant activities with lower IC50 values as compared with control. Overall, a cost-effective strategy via the simple chitosan elicitation is provided here to enhance the production of high-added value flavonoids in I. tinctoria hairy root cultures, which paves the way toward the successful commercialization of this in vitro culture system in the future.

Background Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease. Deposition of amyloid β plaques (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) is the key pathological hallmark of AD. Accumulating evidence suggest that impairment of autophagy-lysosomal pathway (ALP) plays key roles in AD pathology. Purpose The present study aims to assess the neuroprotective effects of Qingyangshen (QYS), a Chinese herbal medicine, in AD cellular and animal models and to determine its underlying mechanisms involving ALP regulation. Methods QYS extract was prepared and its chemical components were characterized by LC/MS. Then the pharmacokinetics and acute toxicity of QYS extract were evaluated. The neuroprotective effects of QYS extract were determined in 3XTg AD mice, by using a series of behavioral tests and biochemical assays, and the mechanisms were examined in vitro. Results Oral administration of QYS extract improved learning and spatial memory, reduced carboxy-terminal fragments (CTFs), amyloid precursor protein (APP), Aβ and Tau aggregates, and inhibited microgliosis and astrocytosis in the brains of 3XTg mice. Mechanistically, QYS extract increased the expression of PPARα and TFEB, and promoted ALP both in vivo and in vitro. Conclusion QYS attenuates AD pathology, and improves cognitive function in 3XTg mice, which may be mediated by activation of PPARα-TFEB pathway and the subsequent ALP enhancement. Therefore, QYS may be a promising herbal material for further anti-AD drug discovery.

Cynandione A, an acetophenone isolated from Cynanchum Wilfordii Radix, exhibits antineuropathic pain effect. This study further explored the target molecule and signaling mechanisms underlying cynandione-A-induced antineuropathic pain. Intrathecal injection of cynandione A significantly attenuated mechanical allodynia in neuropathic rats and substantially increased spinal expression of IL-10 and β-endorphin but not dynorphin A. Cynandione A treatment also enhanced expression of IL-10 and β-endorphin but not α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in cultured microglia. The IL-10 antibody attenuated cynandione-A-induced spinal or microglial gene expression of β-endorphin and mechanical allodynia, whereas the β-endorphin antiserum blocked cynandione-A-induced mechanical antiallodynia but not spinal or microglial IL-10 gene expression. The α7 nAChR antagonist methyllycaconitine significantly reduced cynandione-A-induced mechanical antiallodynia and spinal or microglial expression of IL-10 and β-endorphin. Furthermore, cynandione A stimulated microglial phosphorylation of PKA, p38, and CREB in an α7-nAChR-dependent manner, and treatment with their inhibitors attenuated cynandione-A-induced mechanical antiallodynia and spinal or microglial expression of IL-10 and β-endorphin. In addition, cynandione A stimulated spinal phosphorylation of the transcription factor STAT3, which was inhibited by methyllycaconitine, the PKA activation inhibitor or IL-10 antibody. The STAT3 inhibitor NSC74859 also abolished cynandione-A-induced mechanical antiallodynia and spinal expression of β-endorphin. These findings suggest that cynandione A suppresses neuropathic pain through α7-nAChR-dependent IL-10/β-endorphin signaling pathway in spinal microglia.

An increasing number of studies suggest that angiotensin (Ang) Ⅱ contributes to the pathology of cerebrovascular disease possibly through injuring of the brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC), but the mechanisms involved are not well elucidated. Recent studies reveal the importance of Ang Ⅱ in reactive oxygen species induction and endothelial injury. Hence, the present study investigated the involvement of oxidative stress in Ang Ⅱ-induced BMEC injury. Our results showed that 10^(-6) mol/L Ang Ⅱ increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage and inhibited the viability of primary cultured BMEC. Incubation with 10^(-6) mol/L of Ang Ⅱ for 48 hr increased the extracellular and intracellular malondialdehyde (IVIDA) content and decreased the activities of intracellular glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) significantly. These effects were abolished by pretreatment with the selective AT1 receptor antagonist losartan, but not with the AT2 selective antagonist PD 123319. Combining Losartan with PD 123319 neither diminished nor promoted the effect of losartan alone. These findings indicated that Ang Ⅱ induced injury of BMEC may result from oxidative stress by activating AT1 receptors. This injury may in turn lead to the development of cerebrovascular disease.

In our previous study, we reported a high temperature adapted strain (HTAS) of the predatory mite Neoseiulus barkeri was artificially selected via a long-term heat acclimation (35°C) and frequent heat hardenings. To understand the molecular basis of heat acclimation, 'omics' analyses were performed to compare the differences between HTAS female adults to conventional strain (CS) at transcriptional and translational levels. We obtained a total of 5,374 differentially expressed genes and 500 differentially expressed proteins. Among them, 119 transcripts had concurrent transcription and translation profiles. It's conserved that some processes, such as high expression of heat shock protein (HSP) genes, involved in heat tolerance of transcriptome analyses, while many protective enzymes including glutathione S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and cytochrome P450 displayed down-regulated expression. KEGG analysis mapped 4,979 and 348 differentially expressed genes and proteins, to 299 and 253 pathways, respectively. The mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling pathway may provide new insights for the investigation of the molecular mechanisms of heat tolerance. Correlation enriched pathways indicated that there were four pathways associated with heat acclimation involving in energy metabolism and immunity. In addition, the expression patterns of ten randomly selected genes including HSP were consistent with the transcriptome results obtained through quantitative real-time PCR. Comparisons between transcriptome and proteome results indicated the upregulation of HSPs and genes participated in ATP production, immunity and energy metabolism process. A majority of antioxidant-related genes and detoxication-related genes were down-regulated suggesting a fitness cost of heat acclimation. Our results demonstrated that heat tolerance during a long-time acclimation of N. barkeri is a fairly complicated process of physiological regulations. These findings also contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms of thermal responses of phytoseiid mites which could provide useful information for biological control through natural enemies.

Four new species of the feather mite genus Anhemialges (Astigmata: Analgidae) are described from passeriform birds in China: A. lioparus sp. nov. from the Golden–breasted Fulvetta Lioparus chrysotis (Passeriformes, Paradoxornithidae); A. aegithalos sp. nov. from the Black–throated Tit Aegithalos concinnus (Passeriformes, Aegithalidae); A. seicercus sp. nov. from the Golden–spectacled Warbler Seicercus burkii (Passeriformes, Phylloscopidae); and A. zosterops sp. nov. from the Oriental White–eye Zosterops palpebrosus (Passeriformes, Zosteropidae).

Background and purpose d-Amino acid oxidase (DAAO) is a flavine adenine dinucleotide-containing flavoenzyme and specifically catalyses oxidative deamination of d-amino acids. This study aimed to explore the association between increased cerebral DAAO expression or enzymic activity and the development of cerebral ischaemia. Experimental approach A mouse model of transient (90 min) middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was established, and western blotting, enzymic activity assay, and fluorescent immunostaining techniques were used. Key results The expression and enzymic activity of DAAO increased over time in the cortical peri-infarct area of the mice subjected to transient MCAO. The DAAO was specifically expressed in astrocytes, and its double immunostaining with the astrocytic intracellular marker, glial fibrillary acidic protein, in the cortical peri-infarct area was up-regulated following ischaemic insult, with peak increase on Day 5 after MCAO. Single intravenous injection of the specific and potent DAAO inhibitor Compound SUN reduced the cerebral DAAO enzymic activity and attenuated neuronal infarction and neurobehavioural deficits with optimal improvement apparent immediately after the MCAO procedure. The neuroprotective effect was dose dependent, with ED50 values of 3.9-4.5 mg·kg-1 . Intracerebroventricular injection of the DAAO gene silencer siRNA/DAAO significantly reduced cerebral DAAO expression and attenuated MCAO-induced neuronal infarction and behavioural deficits. Conclusions and implications Our results, for the first time, demonstrated that increased cerebral astrocytic DAAO expression and enzymic activity were causally associated with the development of neuronal destruction following ischaemic insults, suggesting that targeting cerebral DAAO could be a potential approach for treatment of neurological conditions following cerebral ischaemia.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Immunomodulation has become a crucial modality for cancer treatment. Chinese Herbal Medicines (CHMs) are expected as adjuvant therapy for immunomodulation against cancer, but face the key challenge of poor scientific evidence. Changes of natural killer (NK) cells on numbers and/or cytotoxicity are a novel respect to evaluate the immunomodulation of CHMs. Aim of the study The purpose of this review is to investigate the immunomodulation of Chinese Herbal Medicines (CHMs) on NK cell populations for cancer therapy. Materials and methods A systematic review was conducted and outside mainstream electronic databases were screened for potential reference articles. This review tried to report and critically analyzed all the correlative studies, especially these clinical trials (3 CHM extracts and 11 CHM formulas). Results Evidence-based functions of CHMs against cancer could be summarized as: (1) enhancement of NK cells activity or relative percentage; (2) prevention of tumor growth and metastasis; (3) relief on side-effects or complications of therapeutic strategies (i.e. chemotherapy, radiotherapy and resection). Briefly, most of cellular studies and two thirds animal studies were based on the extract or components of single herbs, whilst most of clinical trials were keen on formula or prescription of CHMs. The main components of CHMs were demonstrated active on promoting the cytotoxicity of NK cells, including Angelica sinensis, Ganoderma lucidum, Panax ginseng, Radix Astragali, Lentinus edodes, etc. Conclusions This comprehensive review demonstrated NK cells activity was positively associated with quality of life but not survival benefit of cancer patients. Thus exploring the roles of NK cells in adjuvant therapy against cancer is confirmed to be beneficial to explore the underlying relationship between immunomodulation and quality of life.

Phenolic compounds are validated to be the pharmacologically active phytochemicals in Cajanus cajan (Linn.) Millsp. leaves (CCLs) and the medicinal product (Tongluo Shenggu capsules, TSCs) thereof. For the first time, C. cajan cell suspension cultures (CCSCs) were established as an effective in vitro platform for the production of phenolic compounds. Callus was induced from C. cajan leaves by 2.0 mg/L 2,4-D, 5.0 mg/L α-NAA, and 0.1 mg/L Kn, and then subcultured on MS solid medium supplemented with 1.5 mg/L 2,4-D, 3.0 mg/L α-NAA, and 0.25 mg/L Kn. Culture conditions of a selected high-productive callus line (CCCL VII) were systematically optimized in terms of biomass productivity and phenolic yield, and eleven target compounds were identified and quantified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Under the optimal culture conditions (MS liquid medium, sucrose concentration 3.5 %, temperature 26 °C, inoculum size 3.0 %, and time 49 day), CCSCs produced the highest level of total phenolics (3462.99 μg/g DW) along with the maximum biomass productivity (10.03 g/L), which was higher than the phenolic yield in field-grown CCLs (3288.81 μg/g DW). Notably, CCSCs exhibited superiority in the content of the most valuable compound cajaninstilbene acid (2858.76 μg/g DW) as compared with CCLs (2114.60 μg/g DW). Also, CCSCs were discovered to be more abundant in genistin and genistein as against both CCLs and TSCs. This work concluded that CCSCs might be attractive alternative sources for the production of phenolic compounds with potential uses in pharmaceutical/nutraceutical industries.

Hippocampal neurogenesis plays a critical role in the formation of new neurons during learning and memory development. Attenuation of neurogenesis in the brain is one of the primary causes of dementia in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and, conversely, modulating the process of hippocampal neurogenesis benefit patients with AD. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), particularly herbal medicine, has been in use for thousands of years in Asia and many regions of the world for the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we summarize the role of neurotrophic factors, signal transducing factors, epigenetic modulators and neurotransmitters in neurogenesis, and we also discuss the functions of several Chinese herbs and their active molecules in activating multiple pathways involved in neurogenesis. TCM herbs target pathways such as Notch, Wnt, Sonic Hedgehog and receptor tyrosine kinase pathway, leading to activation of a signaling cascade that ultimately enhances the transcription of several important genes necessary for neurogenesis. Given these pathway activating effects, the use of TCM herbs could be an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of AD.

Changes in temperature are known to cause a variety of physiological stress responses in insects and mites. Thermal stress responses are usually associated with the increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in oxidative damage. In this study, we examined the time-related effect (durations for 1, 2, 3, and 5 h) of thermal stress conditions-i.e., relatively low (0, 5, 10, and 15 °C) or high (35, 38, 41, and 44 °C) temperatures-on the activities of antioxidant enzymes including catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX), glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) of the predatory mite Neoseiulus cucumeris. Also the lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels of the predatory mite were measured under thermal stress conditions. The results confirmed that thermal stress results in a condition of so-called oxidative stress and the four antioxidant enzymes play an important role in combating the accumulation of ROS in N. cucumeris. CAT and POX activity changed significantly when the mites were exposed to cold and heat shock, respectively. The elevated levels of SOD and GSTs activity, expressed in a time-dependent manner, may have an important role in the process of antioxidant response to thermal stress. However, the levels of LPO in N. cucumeris were high, serving as an important signal that these antioxidant enzyme-based defense mechanisms were not always adequate to counteract the surplus ROS. Thus, we hypothesize that thermal stress, especially extreme temperatures, may contribute much to the generation of ROS in N. cucumeris, and eventually to its death.

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway plays a critical role in regulating cell growth, proliferation, and life span. mTOR signaling is a central regulator of autophagy by modulating multiple aspects of the autophagy process, such as initiation, process, and termination through controlling the activity of the unc51-like kinase 1 (ULK1) complex and vacuolar protein sorting 34 (VPS34) complex, and the intracellular distribution of TFEB/TFE3 and proto-lysosome tubule reformation. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a serious, common neurodegenerative disease characterized by dopaminergic neuron loss in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and the accumulation of Lewy bodies. An increasing amount of evidence indicates that mTOR and autophagy are critical for the pathogenesis of PD. In this review, we will summarize recent advances regarding the roles of mTOR and autophagy in PD pathogenesis and treatment. Further characterizing the dysregulation of mTOR pathway and the clinical translation of mTOR modulators in PD may offer exciting new avenues for future drug development.

Research history of the taxonomy, morphology, biology and ecology of the Psoroptidia in China until 31 Dec 2009 was summarized. A checklist of 70 species, 1 subspecies and 11 varieties, in 49 genera of 20 families and a checklist of mites unidentified to species of 8 families are provided.

Many regard the Pteronyssidae as a subfamily of Avenzoariidae Oudemans, 1905, but Mironov (2001) recently recognized the group as a family, based on the unique character of a ventral membrane on tarsi I, and other distinguishing features of the Pteronyssinae Oudemans, 1941 (vide: Gaud & Atyeo 1996) and the specificity their host associations. To date, 140 species in 23 genera are described (Mironov 2001, 2005). The genus Timalinyssus was established by Mironov (2001) to accommodate two species collected from babblers (Passeriformes: Timaliidae). It is closely related to Mouchetia Gaud but differs in the following characters: prodorsal shield is fused with the scapular shields, c2 setiform and short in both sexes; tarsi III are cone-like with acute apex in male; opisthosomal lobes are long and separated by narrow terminal cleft in female (Gaud & Atyeo 1996; Mironov 2001).

The development, survival, and reproduction of Liposcelis decolor (Pearman) (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae), an important insect pest of infested stored products, were evaluated at eight constant temperatures (20–37.5°C). Female L. decolor had four nymphal stadia, whereas males only had three nymphal stadia. Between 20 and 37.5°C, the female developmental period from egg to adult varied from 46.2 d at 20°C to 16.1 d at 35°C, and the male developmental period from egg to adult varied from 41.8 d at 20°C to 13.6 d at 35°C. Based on a nonlinear model, the lower temperature developmental thresholds of female from egg, first through fourth stadia, and combined immature stages were estimated at 12.22, 16.08, 10.93, 8.88, 12.64, and 13.02°C, the upper temperature thresholds were 42.11, 39.44, 41.27, 40.92, 39.20, and 40.52°C, respectively, whereas the lower temperature thresholds of males ranged from 11.68 to 15.86°C, and the upper temperature thresholds ranged from 40.19 to 42.04°C. The survival rate from egg to adult was 57.3% at 32.5°C, 38.4 at 20°C, and 19% at 37.5°C, respectively. After emergence, the adult had a preoviposition period that ranged from 6.8 d at 20°C to 2.3 d at 35°C. L. decolor produced the most eggs (130.4) at 32.5°C and the fewest (24.7) at 37.5°C. The population reared at 32.5°C had the highest intrinsic rate of increase (0.0609) compared with the populations reared at seven other constant temperatures. The populations reared at 35 and 37.5°C had type III survivorship pattern, whereas populations reared at other temperatures had type I survivorship curve as determined by a Weibull frequency distribution. The optimal range of temperature for L. decolor population growth was 27.5–35°C.

Liposcelis badia Wang, Wang, and Lienhard was firstly recorded as a novel species of Liposcelididae in 2006 in China. In this study, the development, survival, and reproduction of L. badia were evaluated at eight constant temperatures (between 20 and 37.5 degrees C). The population reared at 37.5 degrees C failed to develop or reproduce. Between 20 and 35 degrees C, the developmental period from egg to adult varied from 46.5 d at 20 degrees C to 17.2 d at 32.5 degrees C. The lower temperature developmental thresholds from egg, first through third stadia, and combined immature stages were estimated at 15.0, 14.5, 9.1, 8.0, and 10.0 degrees C; and the upper temperature thresholds were 39.5, 40.0, 38.9, 39.6, and 40.0 degrees C, respectively. The survival rate from egg to adult was 48.2% at 27.5 degrees C and 19.8 and 18.0% at 20 and 35 degrees C, respectively. After emergence, the adult had a short preoviposition period that ranged from 6.4 d at 20 degrees C to 3.8 d at 30 and 32.5 degrees C. L. badia produced the most eggs at 20 degrees C and the fewest at 35 degrees C. The population reared at 27.5 degrees C had the highest intrinsic rate of increase, net reproductive rate, the shortest populations doubling time, and shorter mean generation time compared with the other temperatures. It is suggested that the optimal range of temperature for L. badia population growth is 27.5-30 degrees C.

Two new species of the feather mite genus Analloptes Trouessart, 1885 (Xolalgidae: Ingrassiinae) are described from birds in China: Analloptes turnicis Mu and Wang sp. nov. ex barred buttonquail, Turnix suscitator (Gmelin, 1789) (Charadriiformes: Turnicidae) from Guizhou; and A. qujingensis Su and Wang sp. nov. ex red-billed chough, Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax (Linnaeus, 1758) (Passeriformes: Corvidae) from Yunnan. Two previously known species are redescribed based on the material from their type hosts collected from China: Analloptes megnini Trouessart, 1885 ex water rail, Rallus aquaticus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Gruiformes: Rallidae) from Yunnan, and Dubininia melopsittaci Atyeo and Gaud, 1987 ex budgerigar, Melopsittacus undulatus (Shaw, 1805) (Psittaciformes: Psittaculidae) from Guizhou.

Five new species of the feather mite genus Passeroptes (Acariformes: Dermationidae) are recorded from birds of the order Passeriformes in China: P. lioparis sp. nov. from Chrysotus chrysotis (Blyth) (Paradoxornithidae); P. motacillae sp. nov. from Motacilla cinerea Tunstall (Motacillidae); P. cyanodermae sp. nov. from Cyanoderma ruficeps Blyth (Timaliidae); P. periparus sp. nov. from Periparus ater (Linnaeus) (Paridae); P. aegithalos sp. nov. from Aegithalos iouschistos bonvaloti (Oustalet) (Aegithalidae).

Two new species of the feather mite genus Neocalcealges Orwig 1968 (Analgoidea: Trouessartiidae) are described from passerine birds (Passeriformes) from the Sichuan province of China: Neocalcealges davidi sp. nov. from Alcippe davidi Styan (Leiothrichidae) and N. chrysotis sp. nov. from Lioparus chrysotis (Blyth) (Paradoxornithidae). We provide a key to all described species of Neocalcealges.

Three new species of the genus Passeroptes (Acariformes: Dermationidae) are described from passerine birds (Passeriformes) in China: Passeroptes formosus sp. nov. from Garrulax formosus formosus (Verreaux) (Guizhou), P. poecilorhynchus sp. nov. from Garrulax poecilorhynchus berthemyi (David and Oustalet) (Guizhou), and P. picae sp. nov. from Pica pica sericea Gould (Henan). Passeroptes garrulax is redescribed from Garrulax poecilorhynchus berthemyi in Guizhou.

The development, survival, and reproduction of Euseius nicholsi (Ehara & Lee) (Acari: Phytoselidae), an important and rapacious predatory mite that feeds on Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval), were evaluated at six constant temperatures between 19°C and 32°C. The temperature range 22°C to 28°C was found to be optimal for development and reproduction of the mites. Both were significantly impaired at temperatures higher than 28°C. At 30°C and 32°C, survival rates were significantly reduced. At all temperatures, the egg incubation period was the longest developmental stage, accounting for 40% to 45% of total development time. The sex ratios (female:male) of the offspring at the six temperatures (19, 22, 25, 28, 30 and 32°C) were 1.46:1, 1.35:1, 1.32:1, 1.52:1, 1.65:1 and 1.71:1, respectively. The lowest sex ratio occurred at 25°C, suggesting that this was the natural temperature for this species. At 25°C and 28°C, the population doubling times of E. nicholsi were 4.27 d and 3.13 d, respectively, indicating that these were appropriate temperatures for population growth. We conclude that the optimal temperature range for the development of E. nicholsi was 22°C to 28°C and that the most suitable temperature for both development and reproduction of the mites was 25°C.