Checklist of Indian mites in the family Laelapidae (Acari: Mesostigmata).

Laelapidae Canestrini, 1891 is one of the most diverse mite families in the order Mesostigmata, but the Indian fauna of this family is very poorly known. This paper is a checklist of the known species of Laelapidae recorded from India, with a summary of the available information on the distribution and biology of each species. The known fauna includes 66 species in 21 genera, plus seven species whose generic placement is unresolved and a number of others that lack validly published descriptions.

The "southeastern Europe" lineage of the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus (sensu lato) identified as Rhipicephalus rutilus Koch, 1844: Comparison with holotype and generation of mitogenome reference from Israel.

The brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus (sensu lato) in the southeastern Mediterranean region and the Middle East is difficult to identify due to the presence of multiple mitochondrial DNA haplogroup lineages. The purpose of this study was to clarify the identity of the "southeastern Europe" lineage of this tick species complex. Our research shows that female ticks of the "southeastern Europe" lineage correspond to the morphology of R. rutilus Koch, 1844 as found in type-material at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin in Germany. We characterised the complete mitogenomes of R. rutilus, R. turanicus Pomerantsev, 1940 and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille, 1806) in order to improve our understanding of the phylogenetic relationships among species within the R. sanguineus (sensu lato) complex. The material associated with the morphology of R. rutilus was previously labelled as the "southeastern Europe" lineage and found in Israel and Egypt, including Lower Egypt and the Nile Delta, where the original type-material was collected. Based on the morphology, genetic identity, and geographical distribution of the species, we conclude that the name R. rutilus is correctly linked to the "southeastern Europe" lineage of R. sanguineus (sensu lato).

Rhipicephalus linnaei (Audouin, 1826) recognised as the "tropical lineage" of the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato: Neotype designation, redescription, and establishment of morphological and molecular reference.

We re-describe the adult stages of Rhipicephalus linnaei (Audouin, 1826), and characterise its diagnostic molecular traits. A male R. linnaei collected in Esna City, Luxor Governorate, Egypt is designated as the neotype. Rhipicephalus linnaei is re-established as a valid tick name and removed from the synonymy list of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille, 1806). Rhipicephalus linnaei is most similar to R. sanguineus and Rhipicephalus camicasi Morel, Mouchet & Rodhain, 1976 because they share similar elongated comma-like spiracula that are narrowly visible dorsally, and the dorsal prolongation is narrower than the width of the adjacent festoon. The male of R. camicasi is distinguished from R. linnaei by the non-tapering caudal widening of the spiracula. The male of R. sanguineus is distinguished from R. linnaei by shorter extension that does not taper into a long narrow extension of the spiracula. The genital pore atrium of female R. linnaei is broadly U-shaped, while it is a narrower U-shape in R. sanguineus. The remaining species within the R. sanguineus species complex - Rhipicephalus sulcatus Neumann, 1908, Rhipicephalus turanicus Pomerantsev, 1940, Rhipicephalus guilhoni Morel & Vassilades, 1963, Rhipicephalus secundus Feldman-Muhsam, 1952 and Rhipicephalus afranicus Bakkes, 2020, all exhibit spiracula with the dorsal prolongation as wide as the adjacent festoon. The DNA sequence of R. linnaei is most closely related to R. guilhoni. The phylogenetic analysis of mitogenome (mtDNA) sequences including assembled mtDNA from whole genome sequencing of the neotype supports R. linnaei as a well-defined taxon when compared with DNA sequences of other species of the R. sanguineus species complex, in particular: R. sanguineus, R. turanicus, R. secundus and R. camicasi. Molecularly, R. linnaei belongs to the so-called R. sanguineus s.l. "tropical lineage" distributed globally including the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia and is the only species from R. sanguineus species complex in Australia.

Catalogue of the free-living and arthropod-associated Laelapidae Canestrini (Acari: Mesostigmata), with revised generic concepts and a key to genera.

The cosmopolitan mite family Laelapidae includes both free-living predatory species and species associated with arthropods, mammals or birds. This work presents a list of free-living and arthropod-associated species of laelapids, with corresponding taxonomic information and references. It includes 1088 species (in addition to three subspecies) assigned to 73 genera, 61 new combinations and two new synonymies at the generic level. Laelaps (Apolaelaps) Silvestri is raised to the generic level. Many of the species described before about 1950 are poorly characterised and cannot be classified with confidence at the family or generic level. Hence, ten genera, one subgenus, 121 species (ca. 70% of which were reported as Hypoaspis Canestrini or Laelaps (Hypoaspis) Canestrini) and one subspecies, are considered incertae sedis, because of their inadequate morphological characterisation in the literature. Some of these may not even belong to the Laelapidae or to the groups of interest for this publication. A total of 89 species, 30 genera, one subgenus, one tribe and one subfamily previously associated with genera treated in this catalogue are now placed in other families or, less commonly, in laelapid genera not considered here because they are considered essentially vertebrate parasites (taxa excluded). Twenty-six other species (one cited as a "variety") are cited as nomina nuda. An illustrated key to the 73 genera included in the catalogue along with revised generic diagnoses are provided.

Review of the mite family Parholaspididae Evans, 1956 (Acari: Mesostigmata).

This paper is a review of the mite family Parholaspididae, including 163 species and 14 genera. We provide a diagnosis for the family and each genus, and a key to the genera. For each species we provide a synonymy and bibliography, information about the type locality, habitat, and institutional deposition of type specimens.

A new genus and species of Laelapidae Canestrini from Sri Lanka (Acari: Mesostigmata).

We describe a new monotypic genus in the mite family Laelapidae, Hyposternus gen. nov., to accommodate a new species, H. ceylonicus sp. nov., on the basis of female, male and protonymph specimens collected from soil-litter in Sri Lanka. The female of the new genus differs from other genera of Laelapidae by having a strongly desclerotised sternal shield, essentially represented by a narrow anterior and lateral sclerotised ridges. Other distinctive features of the new species include the absence of dorsal shield seta z3, an epistome projecting anteriorly, movable digit of the chelicera tapered apically, an elongate anal shield, thorn-like opisthogastric setae, an anteriorly widened hypostomal groove, and long dorsal macrosetae ad1 on femora IIIV.

Discovering and documenting Acari: the first twenty years in Zootaxa.

Acari represent the most diverse group within the arachnids with some 60,000 described species. It is generally believed that most species of mites are waiting to be discovered and described. Zootaxa was the most important journal for mite taxonomy during the last twenty years (2001 to 2020). It published 1305 papers by 1057 authors during these two decades, with descriptions of 3271 new taxa/names, which account for 24.4% of the total indexed in Zoological Record. The numbers of new synonyms of Acari in Zootaxa (334) also accounted for nearly a quarter (24.9%) of the total published during this period. These data indicate that Zootaxa has been an important and leading journal for acarologists to document the diversity of mites and ticks in the world.

The "tropical lineage" of the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato identified as Rhipicephalus linnaei ().

The brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) parasitises dogs. Over the past decade, two distinct lineages have been recognised - R. sanguineus sensu lato "temperate lineage" and R. sanguineus sensu lato "tropical lineage". The nominal taxon R. sanguineus (Latreille, 1806) was recently associated with the "temperate lineage". We here identify the "tropical lineage" as Rhipicephalus linnaei (Audouin, 1826) using material from Australia, where no other Rhipicephalus species parasitises dogs. Whole genome sequencing of R. linnaei from Australia, Fiji and Laos, and assembly of their complete mitochondrial DNA (~15 kb) confirms the genetic identity and distinctness from all other known species within the brown dog tick species complex. Designation of the species R. linnaei is unequivocally supported by material available through the Australian National Insect Collection, Australia. Accordingly, we are formally justified in using R. linnaei for the "tropical lineage".

Review of the genus Pogonolaelaps Nemati amp; Gwiazdowicz (Acari: Laelapidae), with description of a new species from Iran.

We describe a new species, Pogonolaelaps termitophilus sp. nov., from specimens collected from termite nests in Iran. We clarify the identity of the genus Pogonolaelaps Nemati Gwiazdowicz, 2016, its type species Laelaps canestrinii Berlese, 1892, and the related genus Laelaspisella Marais Loots, 1969.

Review of the genus Holostaspis Kolenati, 1858 (Acari: Laelapidae).

Mites in the genus Holostaspis Kolenati, 1858 (Acari: Laelapidae) are usually found in association with ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). In this paper we review the genus based on examination of six species from Slovakia, namely H. ambigua sp. nov., H. collina (Huhta Karg, 2010), H. flexuosa (Michael, 1891) comb. nov., H. isotricha Kolenati, 1858, H. montana (Berlese, 1904) and H. oophila (Wasmann, 1897). We also carried out a careful study of the published work on Holostaspis and related genera, and examined types in the Berlese Acaroteca and other collections. Seven species previously described under the names Hypoaspis (Holostaspis) and Holostaspis are transferred to other genera-H. (H.) brevidentis Karg, 1978 = Pseudoparasitus brevidentis (Karg, 1978) comb. nov., H. (H.) chelaris Teng, Zhang Cui, 1992 = Euandrolaelaps chelaris (Teng, Zhang Cui, 1992) comb. nov., H. (H.) metapodalii Karg, 1978 = Gymnolaelaps metapodalii (Karg, 1978) comb. nov., H. mooni Keum, Jung Joharchi, 2017 = Hypoaspisella mooni (Keum, Jung Joharchi, 2017) comb. nov., H. (H.) serpentis Karg, 1979 = Hypoaspisella serpentis (Karg, 1979) comb. nov., H. (H.) tridentata Karg, 1979 = Gymnolaelaps tridentatus (Karg, 1979) comb. nov., and Holostaspis (Holostaspis) marginedentatus Trägårdh, 1910 is transferred to Glyptholaspis (Macrochelidae). Based on features of the type specimens (deposited at the Berlese Collection in Florence), the morphological concept of Myrmonyssus (Laelaspulus) acuminatus Berlese, 1903 is revised and the systematic status of the subgenus is re-evaluated. The monobasic Laelaspulus Berlese, 1904 is now removed from synonymy with Myrmozercon Berlese, 1902 and newly considered as a junior synonym of Holostaspis. Another four revised species, originally classified in Laelaps Koch, Myrmozercon Berlese or Hypoaspis Canestrini, are transferred into Holostaspis-L. flexuosa Michael, 1891 = Holostaspis flexuosa (Michael, 1891) comb. nov., M. iranicus Babaeian Nemati, 2014 = Holostaspis iranica (Babaeian Nemati, 2014) comb. nov., M. michaeli Joharchi, 2013 = Holostaspis michaeli (Joharchi, 2013) comb. nov., and H. submontana Bai, Gu Chen, 1994 = Holostaspis submontana (Bai, Gu Chen, 1994) comb. nov. A complete list of all species formerly classified in Holostaspis is presented, with details of their current placement. An identification key for the species now included in Holostaspis is also provided.

New records and new species of mites from Cuba, with description of a new genus of Laelapidae (Acari: Mesostigmata).

This paper presents a new genus, two new species, and several new records of mites associated with insects and soil in Cuba. A new monotypic genus of Laelapidae, Acantholaelaps gen. nov., is described to accommodate a new species, A. strategus sp. nov., on the basis of adult female and male specimens collected on Strategus sarpedon (Burmeister) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and Strategus surinamensis hirtus Sternberg (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). The other species recorded were Macrocheles merdarius (Berlese) (Macrochelidae), Asca quinquesetosa Wharton (Ascidae), Gaeolaelaps cubaensis sp. nov. (Laelapidae) and Pseudoparasitus missouriensis (Ewing) (Laelapidae).

Some soil-inhabiting mites from Zanzibar (Acari: Laelapidae).

This paper reports on six species of soil-inhabiting mites of the family Laelapidae from Zanzibar, Tanzania: Gaeolaelaps praesternalis (Willmann), G. zanzibarensis sp. nov., Hypoaspisella bernhardi sp. nov., Ololaelaps placentula (Berlese), Ololaelaps placidus (Banks) and Pseudoparasitus missouriensis (Ewing). The subgenus Hypoaspis (Hypoaspisella) Bernhard, 1971 is raised to the genus level and its diagnosis is clarified.

Checklist of the mites of Pakistan.

We present the first comprehensive inventory of the mites of Pakistan, based on data from published books and papers. The fauna as presently understood includes 126 families, 316 genera, and 1105 species. The best-documented genera are those that include pests of stored food (for example Acotyledon, 28 species), plant pests (Brevipalpus, 49 species; Tenuipalpus, 35 species), and beneficial predators (Euseius, 44 species; Neoseiulus, 37 species; Phytoseius, 36 species; Typhlodromus, 47 species). Some economically important families such as the Eriophyidae are almost completely unknown. Some of the Cryptostigmata have been studied, but other groups of soil mites are very poorly known. Other large groups such as the feather mites, water mites, Uropodina, and parasitic Astigmata and Prostigmata, have not been studied in a systematic way. An increase in knowledge of these groups would help an assessment of their economic importance, and would make a valuable contribution to the biogeography of the western section of the Oriental Region and the southern section of the Palaearctic Region.

Capricornella bicornuta, a new genus and species of mite from eastern Australia (Acari: Uropodina).

We describe a new genus and species of mite from eastern Australia, Capricornella bicornuta. The new genus is characterised by the presence of two long appendages on the anterior margin of the epigynal shield of the female.

Catalogue of the family Ologamasidae Ryke (Acari: Mesostigmata).

Mites of the family Ologamasidae are very conspicuous and abundant in soil and litter, especially in the Southern Hemisphere. Little is known of their biology and behaviour, but they appear to be generalist predators. The family is placed in the Rhodacaroidea, but its status and composition have been very unstable. The existing classification and identification keys are obsolete and difficult to use. We present a historical review of the literature on the classification of the Ologamasidae, with revised diagnoses for the family and its included genera, and a new key to genera. We also present a complete catalogue of the species, with details of their nomenclature and bibliography, and a summary of the locality and habitat data for the types for each species.        The family includes a total of 467 species arranged in 44 genera. The largest genera are Gamasiphis Berlese (74 species), Gamasellus Berlese (70 species) and Geogamasus Lee (33 species). These three genera together include more than 35% of the valid species in the family. Seven of the genera are monotypic. We list a further 29 species that appear to belong to the family Ologamasidae, but which cannot be confidently assigned to a genus on the basis of the available information. We also list 74 species that have been placed in the Ologamasidae at some time, but which are now placed in other families, especially the Veigaiidae, Digamasellidae, Parasitidae, and Eviphididae.        New combinations are proposed for 15 species. The genus Pachymasiphis is described as new, because this name was not made available correctly when it was first proposed.

Catalogue of the mite families Ascidae Voigts & Oudemans, Blattisociidae Garman and Melicharidae Hirschmann (Acari: Mesostigmata).

Until recently, mites in the families Ascidae, Blattisociidae and Melicharidae together constituted what was considered to be a single family, the Ascidae (sensu lato). We include all three families in this catalogue because of their many morphological similarities, as well as for historic and ecological reasons. Together with most Phytoseiidae and some Ameroseiidae, these are the only mesostigmatid mites commonly found on plants. In this publication we initially provide a historic overview of these groups, summarising the changes in the taxonomic concepts of the genera and other subfamilial taxa. This is followed by a thorough characterisation of each family and genus. A dichotomous key for the separation of families and genera is included. We then list the species considered to belong to these families, with details of the literature concerning the taxonomy of each species, and information about their type specimens and type localities wherever possible. The numbers of taxa considered as valid in this publication are: 372 species in 17 genera of Ascidae, 367 species in 14 genera of Blattisociidae, and 206 species in 11 genera of Melicharidae. We attempt to place each species in the most appropriate genus. In doing so, we propose 30 new combinations, including a species here transferred from Ascidae sensu stricto to Rhodacaridae. We propose five new names to replace junior homonyms, one new generic synonymy, and one new specific synonymy. Some species are insufficiently known and could not be reliably placed in any genus; these are listed as species incertae sedis. We also provide a list of species and genera that have been placed in these families at some time, but which have been transferred to other groups.

Two new species of Pachyseius Berlese (Acari: Pachylaelapidae) from Turkey, with a key to the world species.

Two new species of the genus Pachyseius are described from leaf litter in Turkey. Pachyseius destitutus sp. nov. is described based on the female, and P. quadrigeminus sp. nov. is described based on the female and male. These species have some uncommon character states for the genus, such as the absence of dorsal shield seta z1, four pairs of setae on the ventri-anal shield, and a male with a holoventral shield. We provide a key to the world species incorporating new information about the genus.

A new species of Geholaspis Berlese (Acari: Mesostigmata: Macrochelidae) from Northern Iran.

Geholaspis (Geholaspis) pennulatus sp. nov. is described from females and males collected from forest leaf litter in Northern Iran. The new species can be easily recognised by its barbed setae j2 and z1, dorsal shield seta j5 located posterior to j6 and z6, a very wide ventri-anal shield, and the shape of the epistome. Geholaspis (G.) comelicensis Lombardini, 1962 is considered as a junior synonym of G. (G.) pauperior (Berlese, 1918). A new key for the separation of females of known species of Geholaspis (Geholaspis) is presented.

A review of the ectoparasitic mites (Acari: Dermanyssoidea) associated with birds and their nests in Slovakia, with notes on identification of some species.

We review the parasitic mites of the superfamily Dermanyssoidea found in the nests of Slovakian domestic and wild birds (and a few mammals), compiled from new data and literature sources. Three mite genera are included, namely Dermanyssus Dugès (Dermanyssidae), Ornithonyssus Sambon and Pellonyssus Clark & Yunker (Macronyssidae), in which we recognised nine reliably documented species. Pellonyssus is represented by one species, Dermanyssus by five species, and Ornithonyssus by three species. We compiled information on the ecological requirements and host preferences of these mite species, including data on geographic distribution, altitudinal distribution, and occurrence in different habitats and nest types. An identification key to the species occurring in Slovakia is provided, together with taxonomic remarks on the identification and external morphology of some selected species. Parasitic mites have been reported from 119 taxa of Slovakian vertebrates (including man), of which 108 belong to 17 orders of birds. Dermanyssus americanus Ewing and Ornithonyssus bursa (Berlese) are reported from Slovakia for the first time. Examination of older voucher material collected in Slovakia revealed many misidentified specimens: the name Dermanyssus hirundinis (Hermann) has been widely used for misidentified specimens of Dermanyssus carpathicus Zeman; D. americanus was confused with D. hirundinis; while O. bursa has been confused with Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini & Fanzago). Slovakia is the second country in Europe with known occurrence of the genus Pellonyssus. 

Two new species of Pachyseius Berlese (Acari: Pachylaelapidae) from Turkey, with a key to the world species.

The genus Pachyseius Berlese, 1910 (Acari: Pachylaelapidae) is reported from Turkey for the first time. Pachyseius siranensis sp. nov. and Pachyseius masani sp. nov. are described from females collected from litter and moss in north-eastern Turkey. A world-wide key to the species of Pachyseius is provided. The number of setae on the ventri-anal shield appears to be variable within some species in this genus. Some species of Pachyseius show reductions in chaetotaxy on tarsi III and IV.