Accurate discrimination of Hyalomma species is important for taxonomy and vector surveillance. Although mitochondrial COI has been widely used for tick identification, nucleotide variation relevant to species discrimination and regional genetic diversity remain insufficiently investigated. This study evaluated the discriminatory power of COI by identifying informative nucleotide positions among Hyalomma species and assessing the phylogeographic diversity of H. anatolicum at nucleotide as well as amino acid level. Because H. anatolicum provided the largest number of suitable sequences, 71 sequences from Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Türkiye were selected for phylogenetic analysis, estimation of genetic diversity, neutrality tests and construction of a TCS haplotype network. The haplotype network showed patterns broadly consistent with genetic differentiation among the species examined, although it does not independently validate species boundaries. Within H. anatolicum, phylogenetic trees revealed no clear grouping by country of origin. Eleven haplotypes were detected, with moderate haplotype diversity (Hd = 0.648) and nucleotide diversity (π = 0.0709). A significantly negative Tajima’s D value (-2.444, P < 0.01) indicated departure from neutral expectations. The network also showed haplotype sharing among sequences from different countries, although interpretation of geographic structure was limited by the uneven geographic sampling. Overall, the results support the utility of COI for molecular identification of Hyalomma species and for population genetic studies of H. anatolicum. The candidate informative nucleotide positions may provide a reference for future validation and development of molecular assays for epidemiological and surveillance applications in Iran.
The family Tenuipalpidae Berlese, 1913, is commonly known as flat mites. Up to now, 86 species belonging to 14 genera of Tenuipalpidae have been recorded from Iran. Aegyptobia Sayed, 1950 is a large genus of Tenuipalpidae comprising 108 species, of which 19 species are recorded from Iran. In this paper, Aegyptobia anvillea Kamran & Alatawi, 2016, is newly recorded in Iran from Anvillea garcini DC. (Asteraceae). This is the second global report of this species, and the genus Anvillea is a new host plant for the Superfamily Tetranychoidea in Iran. The species was originally described from Saudi Arabia, on Anvillea garcini. Leaves and sheaths of Anvillea garcini were collected in plastic bags and brought to the research laboratory. A dipping-washing-filtering method was used to remove the mites (Boller, 1984). The solution was filtered through a 400 mesh sieve, and retained mites were washed with 70% ethanol into a Petri dish, then collected individually under a stereomicroscope and mounted in Hoyer’s medium. Mites were identified with an Olympus® BX43 phase-contrast compound microscope. Measurements were taken by means of a Dino-Eye® digital imaging system and are given in micrometers (μm).
Predator-associated cues can induce behavioural and life-history changes in prey without direct predator–prey interactions, yet whether these responses reduce subsequent predation risk remains poorly understood. We investigated how predator-associated cues from the phytoseiid mites Amblyseius swirskii and Neoseiulus californicus influenced spatial organization and reproductive potential in the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae. Adult female T. urticae were exposed to experimentally manipulated levels of predator-associated cues representing increasing perceived predation risk, and spatial organization and oviposition were subsequently measured. Two additional, independent experiments used experimentally imposed aggregated and dispersed prey distributions to test predator–prey encounter frequency and predator patch choice. Predator-associated cues induced trait-specific and predator-dependent responses. Exposure to A. swirskii cues caused a transient increase in prey dispersion after 3 h, whereas N. californicus cues had no significant effect on spatial organization. Cues from both predator species significantly reduced oviposition, with stronger reductions occurring under higher perceived risk. In the independent encounter experiment, experimentally imposed prey spatial distribution did not significantly affect encounter frequency for either predator species. In the independent patch-choice experiment, A. swirskii preferentially selected aggregated prey patches and initiated attacks there, whereas N. californicus showed no significant patch preference. These findings indicate that predator-associated cues can modify prey behaviour and reproduction, but the ecological consequences of prey spatial distribution depend on the stage of predator foraging and predator identity.
The presence of E. orientalis on G. glabra in Khabr National Park, a protected area, raises questions about the mite's occurrence in natural ecosystems and its potential to spread to cultivated licorice fields.
The genus Flagellozetes (Oribatida, Galumnidae) is recorded for the first time from Brazil. A new species, F. (Cosmogalumna) tocantinsensis sp. nov., is described based on adults collected from litter in a flooded secondary tropical forest.
