J. Crop Prot. 2013, 2 (2): 127-138 ______________________________________________________ Some mesostigmatic mites from Iran with their world distribution Fariba Kadkhodae Eliaderani1, Alireza Nemati2* and Farhan Kocheili1 1. Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran. 2. Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Shahrekord, Iran. Abstract: Edaphic Mesostigmata are important, because these feed on arthropods and other invertebrates which may affect natural equilibrium of other living micro-organisms. In order to study the fauna of mesostigmatic mites, samples of soil and litter were collected from different parts of Esfahan region. Mites were extracted by means of Berlese funnel, cleared in Lactic acid and mounted in Hoyer's medium. In this research, the world and Iranian distribution of species with some information about their habitats are provided. Two genera and 3 species were recorded as new records for Iran mite fauna that are marked by an asterisk. The list of identified genera and species is as follows: Ascidae: Arctoseius cetratus (Sellnick, 1940), A. pristinus* Karg, 1962, A. venustulus (Berlese, 1917), Gamasellodes bicolor (Berlese, 1918); Blattisociidae: Lasioseius sugawarai Ehara, 1964, L. youcefi Athias-Henriot, 1959; Melicharidae: Proctolaelaps pygmaeus (Muller, 1860); Parholaspididae: Proparholaspulus* angustatus* Ishikawa, 1987 Trachytidae: Uroseius* traegardhi* (Hirschmann & Zirngiebl-Nicol, 1969). Keywords: Acari, Mesostigmata, Soil, World distribution, Iran Introduction12 mesostigmata. The Gamasina is considered to comprise four subcohorts and 10 superfamilies The Mesostigmata are a group of mites (Acari) (Lindquist et al., 2009). comprising a great diversity of vertebrate Mites of the family Ascidae are commonly parasites-symbionts of insects, and for the most found in soil and litter, among other habitats, part, free-living predators. Soil, litter, plants, where they may play an important role as Downloaded from jcp.modares.ac.ir at 0:25 IRST on Wednesday September 29th 2021 dung and decaying wood are all inhabited by a predators of other mites, other arthropods and range of free-living mesostigmatic mites nematodes (Halliday et al., 1998; Lindquist et (Walter et al., 1998; Halliday, 2000; Beaulieu al., 2009; Walter, 1988; Walter et al., 1993). and weeks, 2007). The order mesostigmata is They are also among the gamasine mites which divided into three suborders. The suborder are useful as biological indicators of soil Monogynaspida includes a multitude of free- conditions and changes in soil ecosystems (Karg living and parasitic species that occur in and Freier, 1995; Minero et al., 2009). Based on countless terrestrial, marine and freshwater Krantz and Walter (2009) the family Ascidae habitats throughout the world. This suborder includes two subfamilies; the Arctoseiinae and includes five cohorts. Gamasina cohort the Ascinae and the melicarines, blattisociines comprises most of the described species of and platyseiines are excluded from this family. The Melicharidae has been classified as a subfamily or a tribe in previous accounts, but Handling Editor: Dr. Mohammad Khanjani ________________________________ now it is treated as a separate family. * Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected] Many species of melicharids are predatory, Received: 21 January 2013; Accepted: 27 February 2013 others have adopted to feeding on fungi, pollen, 127 Some mesostigmatid mites from Iran with world distribution _____________________________ J. Crop Prot. and nectar, and one is reported to be parasitic World distribution. North America (Chant, on cockroaches (Lindquist et al., 2009). 1963); Europe (Bregetova, 1977; Karg, 1993; The Blattisociidae is a diverse group that Salmane and Heldt, 2001; Kaluz and Fenda, has adopted to a broad spectrum of terrestrial, 2005); Western Europe (Bregetova, 1977); arboreal, and subaquatic habitats. This family Russia: soil (Petrova, 1982; Makarova, 2000); includes two subfamilies, the Platyseiinae and Western Siberia (Davydova and Nikolsky, Blattisociinae. The family Parholaspididae 1986); Middle Ural (Russia): fallow land comprises 11 genera of moderately to heavily (Khomjakov, 1988); Australia: dung-baited, sclerotized predatory mites that often are pitfall trap, New South Wales: cow dung, found in forest litter, soil, decaying vegtable Victoria: compost (Halliday et al., 1998); matter, moss, and tree holes (Lindquist et al., Poland: nest of Greater spotted Eagle (Aquila 2009). There are sporadic and in some case clanga) (Gwiazdowicz et al., 2000), soil incomplete and poor information about the (Seniczak et al., 2000), rotten wood, leaf litter fauna of these families in Iran and also world and other microhabitats (Gwiazdowicz and distribution of their members. In this paper Klemt, 2004), sod, stuffing from nests of data is provided for some species that have (Larus ridibundas) (Gwiazdowicz and Kmita, been collected in this survey. 2004), litter, rot wood, moss (Gwiazdowicz and Matysiak, 2004), litter, rotting wood, sod, Materials and Methods meadow, bark beetles galleries (Gwiazdowicz, 2007), Nests of formicidae (Formica Materials were collected from different polyctena), (Lasius niger) (Gwiazdowicz, microhabitats in some parts of Esfahan region 2008a), associated with Scolytidae during 2011-2012. Mites were extracted from (Gwiazdowicz, 2008b), soil (Gabrys et al., the soil and litter samples by use of Berlese 2008); Sakhalin and Kuril Islands: manure funnels. The specimens were collected in (Marchenko and Mapyehko, 2002); Slovakia: beakers of 75% ethanol, and then fixed on various habitats (Kaluz and Fenda, 2005), permanent slides in Hoyer’s medium. The list nests of mound-building mouse (Mus of species is presented by different families and spicilegus) (Masan and Stanko, 2005), birds related genera, including information about nests (Fenda and Schniererova, 2010); Central diagnosis, world distribution, records in Iran Argentina: Soil (Bedano and Ruf, 2007); with new records in this survey. Species’ Northern Taiga (Makarova, 2009); Finland: microhabitat and the details of the findings pine forest, seashore, meadow, dry meadow, Downloaded from jcp.modares.ac.ir at 0:25 IRST on Wednesday September 29th 2021 encompass date of collection, locality, ant hills, compost, dung (Huhta et al., 2010); microhabitats or hosts that were recorded. Saudi Arabia: fruit and timber trees (Al-Atawi, 2011); Austria: roots and soil of plants Results (Wissuwa et al., 2012). Iran Records. Following Nemati et al. (2012a). Family Ascidae New Records. Soil of different parts of Esfahan: Genus Arctoseius Thor, 1930 31.iii.2012, Abshar street; 21.iii.2011, Arctoseius cetratus (Sellnick, 1940) 12.iii.2012, Bagh-daryache street; 28.iii.2011, Diagnosis. Setae J2, Z1, Z2, and S1, S2 short, Bishe-habib park; 10.iii.2012, Khayam street; not reaching the bases of following setae 25.iii.2011, Khomeinishahr; 03.iii.2011, Khoram (Gwiazdowicz, 2007). Posterior half of dorsal street; 28.iii.2011, Marnan park; 04.iv.2012, sheild with longitudinal garland of puncta Mirzataher street; 12.iii.2012, 11.iv.2012, between J and Z setae, peritremes extending Moshtagh street; 29.iii.2011, Nazhvan park; anteriorly to mid-level of coxa II (Halliday et 25.iii.2012, Ordibehesht street; 06.iv.2012, al., 1998). Takhtpolad graveyard. 128 Kadkhodae Eliaderani et al.__________________________________________ J. Crop Prot. (2013) Vol. 2 (2) Arctoseius pristinus Karg, 1962 widest along its middle one-third, at level Diagnosis. All of the dorsal setae short, tines of near anus (Halliday et al., 1998). epistome with fine, often barely distinguishable World distribution. Tanzania (Hurlbutt, branching, genital shield not widened 1971); New York (United states): birds nests posteriorly (Bregetova, 1977). (Baker et al., 1976); Norway (Mehl, 1979); World distribution. Central Europe Europe (Karg, 1993; Salmane and Heldt, 2001); (Bregetova, 1977; Karg, 1993; Kaluz and England and Wales, associated with yew Fenda, 2005); Slovakia (Kaluz and Fenda, (Skorupski and Luxton, 1998); Latvia: coastal 2005); Finland: alpine, compost, dung (Huhta et meadow (Salmane, 1999), washed ashore al., 2010). material, dunes (Salmane, 2001a), primary New Records. Soil of different parts of dunes (Salmane, 2001b), associated with Esfahan: 17.iii.2012, 4.iv.2012, Atash street; Aphyllophorales fungi from dead or live tree 12.iii.2012, Bagh-daryache street; 19.iii.2012, trunks (Salmane, 2005), under the bark, in the Bostan kodak park; 19.iii.2012, Khayam street; frass, rotting wood, mosses and lichens on the 31.iii.2012, Moshtagh street; 10.iii.2012, tree trunks and stumps (Salmane, 2007); 05.viii.2011, 25.iii.2012, Ordibehesht street; Poland: nests of white-trailed sea Eagle 25.iii.2012, Saeb street; 06.iv.2012, Takhtpolad (Haliaeetus albicila) (Gwiazdowicz et al., graveyard; 10.iii.2012, 14.iii.2012, Vahid street. 2000), soil (Seniczak et al., 2000), nests of red- Arctoseius venustulus (Berlese, 1917) backed shrike (Lanius collurio) (Tryjanowski et Diagnosis. Epistome tri- ramous, margin of al., 2001), rotten wood, leaf litter and other epistome pointed, setae Z5 same length as J5 or microhabitats (Gwiazdowicz and Klemt, 2004), slightly longer, setae in row R simple, pair of litter, rot wood, moss (Gwiazdowicz and presternal plates present (Gwiazdowicz, 2007). Matysiak, 2004), litter, sod (Gwiazdowicz and World distribution. Switzerland (Airoldi et Kmita, 2004), litter, fruiting