Dasybelba aphelesa Woolley & Higgins 1979 is redescribed based on topotypical and newly collected material from Colorado, USA. An immature instar (tritonymph) is also described for the first time. Morphological analysis indicates a relationship of D. aphelesa to broader Belba sensu lato group. Comparison with the poorly described type species (D. perona) indicates, that the two species belong to different genera, while a detailed redescription of D. perona is still needed. A new genus, Belbella n. gen. is therefore proposed with D. aphelesa as the type species. Inclusion of D. aphelesa in Nododamaeus Hammer, 1977 is rejected, as well as previously proposed synonymies of Piribelba Miko, 2021 and Quatrobelba Norton, 1980 with Nododamaeus and Dasybelba, respectively.
The European red mite, Panonychus ulmi (Koch), has emerged as a major threat to apple production globally, exacerbated by widespread pesticide resistance. This study evaluated the predatory potential and functional response of the predatory mite Neoseiulus longispinosus (Evans) against stage-specific prey densities (3-5 protonymphs, 5-25 deutonymhs or 10-50 adults) of P. ulmi across seven commercially significant apple cultivars: Jeromine, Red Velox, Super Chief, Auvial Early Fuji, Gale Gala, Scarlet Spur II, and Royal Delicious. Laboratory experiments conducted at 25 +/- 0.5 degrees C, 14L: 10D photoperiod and 70 +/- 5 per cent RH revealed that while larvae remained non-feeding, all other developmental stages exhibited significant predatory activity. The highest net prey-kill rate (C0) was recorded on the Super Chief cultivar (200.78 +/- 25.43 mites), while 'Auvial Early Fuji' supported the lowest (134.20 +/- 21.34 mites). Adult females demonstrated superior predatory efficiency compared to males, with a maximum consumption of 258.44 mites on 'Super Chief'. Logistic regression confirmed a Type II functional response for all feeding stages across all cultivars, characterized by a declining proportion of prey consumed as initial prey density increased. Predatory performance improved with age; adult females on 'Red Velox' exhibited the highest attack rate (0.206 h-1) and the shortest handling time (0.841 h). These findings underscore the influence of host-plant cultivars on predator-prey dynamics and highlight the potential of N. longispinosus as a robust biological control agent for integrated pest management (IPM) programs in diverse apple orchards.
A new species of the genus Eupalopsellus Sellnick (Acariformes: Eupalopsellidae), E. recki sp. nov., is described based on adult females and a deutonymph from Georgia. The species was discovered in a historical slide collection containing specimens of Tenuipalpus dubinini Reck, collected from Ephedra procera. Additionally, a previously reported Turkish specimen identified as Eupalopsellus aff. kermaniensis Mahdavi & Farzan is re-examined and shown to be conspecific with the new species, thereby resolving its taxonomic status.
The oribatid mite species Pergalumna paraelongata (Oribatida, Galumnidae) is distributed across the tropics. The morphological features of the adult are revised and summarized. Some aspects of its biology are presented. The female carries dozens of eggs at once and lays them all together in a single clutch. The egg-to-adult development period ranged from 35 to 44 days in laboratory conditions (at approximate to 25 degrees C; feeding on fungi and algae). Before ecdysis, the juveniles exhibited an unusual behavioral response: they clustered tightly together. The number of females born significantly exceeded the number of males. All active juvenile instars are described. They are characterized by an atypical structure of the gastronotic macrosclerite within the genus Pergalumna: it is divided into two parts by a transverse furrow in the larva, while it features a single pair of lateral incisions in the nymphs. In addition, the larva is characterized by a distinct set of setae with variable length and morphology: c1, c2, dm, dp, h1, and h2 are long, setiform, and barbed; c3 and da are short, setiform, nearly smooth to roughened; whereas la, lm, lp, and h3 are tiny. Moreover, the circumgenital macrosclerite is completely absent, and lyrifissure ip is located outside the gastronotic macrosclerite in the nymphs.
Hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are obligate hematophagous ectoparasites that parasitize a range of vertebrate hosts. They have a worldwide distribution and in South America, Brazil has the greatest diversity of species. They are responsible for transmitting a series of disease-causing agents not only to humans, but also to wild, companion and farm animals. Among the most relevant endemic diseases transmitted by these parasites in the national territory are rickettsioses, caused by bacteria of the genus Rickettsia. Animals, both wild and domestic, can serve as hosts for ticks, thus playing an important role in the dispersion of these vectors, and consequently, in the transmission of possible pathogens that they may be carrying. The objective of the present work was to report some tick-wild host relationships in the state of Paran & aacute;, including new records in Brazil, in addition to researching rickettsiae in these ectoparasites. Ticks were collected from wild animals from twelve locations in the state, received by two Wild Animal Screening Center, between 1999 and 2025. In total, 78 collections were carried out, in 24 different host genera, including reptiles, birds and mammals. A total of 516 ticks from 1 2 different species were collected: Amblyomma aureolatum, Amblyomma brasiliense, Amblyomma calcaratum, Amblyomma dissimile, Amblyomma dubitatum, Amblyomma longirostre, Amblyomma ovale, Amblyomma parkeri, Ixodes loricatus, Ixodes rio, Haemaphysalis juxtakochi and Rhipicephalus microplus. In the present study, new reports of tick-host associations were found: larvae of A. brasiliense on Subulo gouazoubira; nymph of A. brasiliense on Procyon cancrivorus; nymphs of A. longirostre on Cyanocorax caeruleus and Sporophila frontalis; larvae and nymph of A. longirostre on Pteroglossus bailoni; male of A. longirostre on Ramphastos dicolorus; larvae of A. longirostre on Megascops choliba; and females of Ixodes rio and nymphs of Ixodes auritulus complex on Caracara plancus. Finally, Rickettsia amblyommatis was detected in A. longirostre; Candidatus Rickettsia paranaensis in A. dubitatum; Rickettsia parkeri strain Atlantic Forest in A. parkeri; and Rickettsia riphicephali in H. juxtakochi.
