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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]

A new species of tarsonemid mite, Steneotarsonemus hippodromus sp. nov., is described from kikuyu grass Pennisetum clandestinum (Poaceae). The new species is the fifth species of the subgenus Steneotarsonemoides. Keys to the subgenera of Steneotarsonemus and species of Steneotarsonemoides are provided, as is a list of species in each subgenus of Steneotarsonemus. [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]

Background: Ixodes barkeri, a tick with a distinctive ventrolateral horn-like projection on palpal segment 1, was described in 2019 from two male ticks from the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland, Australia. However, females lie at the core of the taxonomy and subgenus classification of Ixodes; hence, we sought specimens of female ticks, successfully recovering females, plus nymphs and larvae. Mitochondrial genomes are also desirable additions to the descriptions of species of ticks particularly regarding subgenus systematics. So, we sequenced the mt genomes of I. barkeri Barker, 2019, and the possible relatives of I. barkeri that were available to us (I. australiensis Neumann, 1904, I. fecialis Warburton & Nuttall, 1909, and I. woyliei Ash et al. 2017) with a view to discovering which if any of the subgenera of Ixodes would be most suitable for I. barkeri Barker, 2019. Results: The female, nymph, larva and mitochondrial genome of Ixodes barkeri Barker, 2019, are described for the first time and the male of I. barkeri is redescribed in greater detail than previously. So far, I. barkeri is known only from a monotreme, the short-beaked echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus (Shaw, 1792), from the highland rainforests of the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland, Australia. Conclusions: Our phylogeny from entire mitochondrial genomes indicated that I. barkeri and indeed I. woyliei Ash et al., 2017, another tick that was described recently, are best placed in the subgenus Endopalpiger Schulze, 1935. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]