The new aphid species, Brachyunguis iranensis sp. nov., collected from Hertia intermedia (Boiss.) Kuntze (Asteraceae) in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran, is described based on apterous viviparous females. A differential diagnosis with morphologically similar species is provided. Identification keys are presented for apterous viviparous females of Asteraceae-feeding Brachyunguis species, as well as for aphids associated with Hertia intermedia worldwide. Additionally, an updated identification key for apterous viviparous females of Brachyunguis species known from Iran is included.https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:5AA01926-DE69-416D-ABAA-7608FDE99A0E

The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) is one of the key pests causing important economic losses in crops. From the predatory mites, Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is used effectively in the biological control of pest mites. On the other hand, diatomaceous earths has a significant potential for controlling numerous arthropod pests including pest mites. Synergistic interactions of different biological control agents such as predatory mites and diatomaceous earths can provide significant benefits in more effective biological control of pest mites. This laboratory study investigated the effect of combined and separate application of the predatory mite, P. persimilis and diatomaceous earth in the biological control of T. urticae. This research is the first to demonstrate the synergistic effect of diatomaceous earths on the efficacy of P. persimilis. After 96 hours, the highest mortality, with 73.19 +/- 0.72%, was observed in the combined treatments of P. persimilis and diatomaceous earths. Moreover, significant differences were observed in the fecundity of T. urticae among the test groups. The lowest mean number of eggs per T. urticae female was found in the combined treatment. Simultaneous application of P. persimilis and diatomaceous earths thus turned out to be the most effective treatment against T. urticae. Our laboratory results thus suggest that diatomaceous earth has the potential to enhance the biological control of T. urticae by P. persimilis. Future studies should verify whether these effects translate to greenhouse and field conditions.

Two new species, Erythraeus (Erythraeus) canakkalensis sp. n. and Erythraeus (Erythraeus) troyensis sp. n., were collected during a survey of ectoparasitic mites associated with aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in the Dardanos Campus of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale Province, Türkiye. These species are described and illustrated based on larval stage. Both new species belong to the species group of the subgenus characterized by the BFe formula 2–2-2 and Ti III < 320.

This study was conducted to determine the ectoparasitic mite fauna (Acari: Trombidiformes: Prostigmata) parasiting on aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in parks, gardens, landscapes and urban areas in & Ccedil;anakkale province, T & uuml;rkiye during the spring and summer seasons of 2021-2022. From 3090 aphids examined, a total of 943 parasitic mite specimens were recovered. Ten mite species were identified, including Abrolophus viburnicolus (Fain & & Ccedil;obano & gbreve;lu, 1998), Balaustium akramii Noei, 2017, Charletonia krendowskyi (Feider, 1954), Erythraeus (Erythraeus) ankaraicus Saboori, & Ccedil;obano & gbreve;lu & Bayram, 2004, Erythraeus (Zaracarus) budapestensis Fain & Ripka, 1998, Erythraeus (Z.) kurdistaniensis Khanjani & Ueckermann, 2005, Erythraeus (Z.) passidonicus Haitlinger, 2006, Allothrombium fuliginosum (Hermann, 1804), A. shirazicum Zhang, 1996 and A. triticium Zhang, 1995. Among these, Abrolophus viburnicolus is redescribed here, while Allothrombium shirazicum represents a new record for the Turkish fauna. Erythraeus (E.) ankaraicus was the most abundant mite species (39.8%), followed by A. fuliginosum (21.7%), A. shirazicum (20.3%) and E. (Z.) budapestensis (10.0%). The remaining species each accounted for less than 3% of the total. Aphis sp. (23.3%) was the most common aphid host, followed by Aphis craccivora (14.7%), and Hyalopterus pruni (10.6%). The majority of the mites (85.6%) were mostly collected in May. This study revealed a high prevalence of ectoparasitic mites associated with aphids and highlights the importance of further research to assess their potential as biocontrol agents of aphids under both laboratory and field conditions.

Microlophium eastopi sp. nov. is described based on the apterous viviparous females collected on Urtica dioica L. (Urticaceae) in Chiswick Bridge, London (United Kingdom) by M.A. Beach, and alate viviparous females and oviparous females reared in laboratory by R. Blackman. Differential diagnosis to other species of the genus is given. An identification key for apterous viviparous females of all Microlophium Mordvilko, 1914 species is provided.

The new aphid species, - Aphis (Bursaphis) dardanelliensis sp. nov. living on Valeriana alliariifolia Vahl (Caprifoliaceae) in Çanakkale Province, Türkiye, is described based on the apterous viviparous females. Differential diagnosis to morphologically similar species and the Caprifoliaceae-feeding Aphis spp. is given. Identification keys for apterous viviparous females to Caprifoliaceae- and Viburnaceae-feeding Aphis spp. with regularly developed marginal tubercles on abdominal segments II–IV and for Valeriana alliariifolia-feeding aphids worldwide are provided.

This study investigated the effect of combined and separate applications of the entomopathogenic fungus (EPF), Cordyceps fumosorosea (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae), and the predatory mite (PM), Phytoseiulus persimilis (Acari: Phytoseiidae), on the biological control of Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) in field-grown tomatoes in Northwest T & uuml;rkiye in 2021. Based on the laboratory tests, it was determined that C. fumosorosea caused moderate mortality on T. urticae and relatively low mortality on P. persimilis. Field tests on tomatoes showed that the most effective result in suppressing the populations of T. urticae was by the release of P. persimilis alone, followed by the combined application of C. fumosorosea and P. persimilis. The application of C. fumosorosea alone showed a very low effect on the populations of T. urticae. Our results suggest that releasing P. persimilis alone provides more effective biological control of T. urticae on field-grown tomatoes than the combined application of C. fumosorosea and P. persimilis, and application of C. fumosorosea alone.

A preliminary survey was conducted in Kaz Dağları, also known as Mount Ida, one of the regions considered a biodiversity rich region due to its wide range of floral diversity at the westernmost point of Türkiye. As a result, we found two species of phytoseiids associated with unknown eriophyoid mite species on two different endemic plants in Kaz Dağları. Neoseiulus vasoides (Karg) and Typhlodromus (Typhlodromus) ernesti Ragusa and Swirski were collected from Sideritis trojana Bornm. (Lamiaceae) and Abies nordmanniana subsp. equi-trojani (Asch. and Sint. ex Boiss.) Coode and Cullen (Pinaceae) at high elevations of 1726 meters and 1350 meters, respectively. The new species records are complementarily described and illustrated based on Turkish specimens, including detailed descriptions of leg chaetotaxy. Important diagnostic characters of the new species records are provided to further improve diagnosis and to avoid any confusion regarding the species status of the Turkish specimens.

Here we present a list of 355 aphid species belonging to 118 genera within 21 tribes of 11 subfamilies in 3 families. For each species, distribution data in Georgia with relevant literature is provided. Of these aphid taxa, 98 species belonging to 47 genera within 2 families are recorded as pests of cultivated plants. Three aphid genera, 17 aphid species and one subspecies were described from Georgia. The genera Loniceraphis and Pseudacaudella and Shivaphis nine species (Calaphis flava, Cinara cedri, Clethrobius comes, Forda formicaria, Loniceraphis paradoxa, Protrama radicis, Pseudacaudella rubida, Semiaphis pimpinellae and Shivaphis celti) are recorded from Georgia for the first time. Nomina dubia, nomina nuda and doubtful records of aphids from Georgia are discussed.

This study determined the seasonal population fluctuation of Myzus cerasi (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in cherry orchards and the effect of different temperatures on the life-history parameters of these aphids under laboratory conditions. Our field results showed that the population fluctuations and densities of M. cerasi on cherry trees were positively affected by the temperature increase between seasons. Also, our laboratory results showed that M. cerasi survived and reproduced at all temperatures tested under laboratory conditions. Female longevity was observed as 19.00 ± 2.38, 18.72 ± 0.49, and 12.59 ± 0.74 days, and fecundity was 10.14 ± 2.26, 9.36 ± 0.59, and 7.27 ± 0.84 offspring/female at 20, 25, and 30 °C, respectively. Although the highest net reproductive rate (R0) was observed numerically at 25 °C (7.80 offspring/female), there was no significant difference compared to 20 °C (7.10 offspring/female). The highest intrinsic rate of increase (r) and the highest finite rate of increase (λ) were calculated at 30 °C (0.15 ± 0.01 and 1.16 ± 0.01 day-1, respectively), and there was no significant difference compared to 25 °C. The mean generation time (T) of M. cerasi showed a significant difference at all temperatures tested and decreased from 22.59 ± 0.33 days at 20 °C to 12.78 ± 0.37 days at 30 °C. Consequently, our results revealed that the seasonal population fluctuation and the life history of M. cerasi in the field and laboratory conditions were affected significantly by different temperatures. Our data obtained in the field and the laboratory will contribute to the understanding of M. cerasi biology and to the management of the pest.

The new aphid species-Aphis (Bursaphis) kazdagensis sp. nov. living on Papaver pilosum subsp. strictum (Papaveraceae) in Çanakkale Province, Türkiye, is described based on the apterous viviparous females. Diagnosis of the subgenus Bursaphis with respect to other species is given. Aphis popovi Mordvilko, 1932 is transferred from the subgenus Aphis to the subgenus Bursaphis. An updated identification key for apterous viviparous females to all Bursaphis species is provided.

Bu çalışma ile Çanakkale İli’nde tarım alanlarına yakın olan Çardak Lagünü’ndeki afidofag syrphidlerin (Diptera: Syrphidae) belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Örneklemeler 2020 yılının bahar ve yaz ayları boyunca gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışma sonucunda, sekiz farklı konukçu bitki üzerindeki Hemiptera takımı Aphididae familyasından yedi afit türü ile ilişkili, Syrphidae familyasındaki beş cins içerisinde toplam beş afidofag syrphid tespit edilmiştir. Tespit edilen türler arasında, beş konukçu afit türü ile ilişki olan Episyrphus balteatus (de Geer) en yaygın bulunan Syrphidae türü olmuştur. Diğer taraftan, Eupeodes corollae (Fabricius)’nin sadece bir konukçu afit türü ile ilişkili olduğu belirlenmiştir. Bu sonuçlar, tarım alanlarına oldukça yakın konumda olan lagün ve sulak alanlar gibi tarım dışı habitatların afidofag syrphidlerin varlığı açısından zengin bir potansiyele sahip olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Sonuç olarak, bu verilerin afidofag syrphidlerin korunmasına ve tarımsal ürünlerdeki zararlı afitlerin biyolojik mücadelesinde daha etkin kullanımına katkı sağlayacağı düşünülmektedir.

The present study determined the effects of different temperatures on the life history parameters and development of Typhlodromus athiasae Porath and Swirski (Acari: Phytoseiidae) for the first time. The study was conducted at 20, 25 and 30°C and the predators fed on Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) under laboratory conditions. Our results show that temperature significantly affected pre-adult and adult durations of T. athiasae. The adult longevity was calculated as 47.90, 22.88, 19.50 days for females, 26.11, 19.90, 20.46 days for males at 20, 25 and 30°C, respectively. The adult females of T. athiasae laid 15.80 (eggs/female), 17.20 (eggs/female) and 12.38 (eggs/female) eggs at the respective temperatures tested. The highest net reproductive rate (R0= 8.90 offspring/individual) determined at 25°C but no significant difference was found among the other temperatures. The highest intrinsic rate of increase (r= 0.12 day-1) was observed at 25°C and 30°C. Although the highest finite rate of increase (λ= 1.13 day-1) was determined at 25°C, no significant difference was observed between this temperature and 30°C. Also, the shortest mean generation time (T=14.97 day) was obtained at 30°C whereas the longest mean generation time (T=28.39 day) was observed at 20°C. Our results revealed that 25°C was more suitable for mass production even if the female and male of T. athiasae survived and reproduced at all temperatures. Consequently, our present results and the data to be obtained in greenhouse and field conditions will reveal the potential of T. athiasae as a biological control agent of T. urticae.

The aim of this study was to reveal the diversity and host interactions of aphids on different plant communities in an urban ecosystem in the northwest of Türkiye between April and October from 2021 to 2022. From the sampling, 55 aphids from 26 genera in the family Aphididae (Hemiptera) on 65 host plant of 26 families were determined. From the aphids, Capitophorus archangelskii Nevsky, 1928 and Uroleucon leontodontis (Hille Ris Lambers, 1939) are found to be new to the aphid fauna of Türkiye. In the urban ecosystem, 108 interactions between aphids and hosts, including the new records of the interactions for Türkiye were identified on different plant communities. Also, we revealed the biodiversity of aphids and hosts interactions in various plant communities in the urban ecosystem. Our results showed that the species richness and abundance of aphids were significantly higher on the herbaceous plants compared to other communities. Also, interactions between aphids and their hosts in the herbaceous plants were more diverse than the trees and shrubs. Accordingly, the results of our study revealed that biodiversity of interactions between aphids and their hosts was higher on the herbaceous plants compared to other plant communities in the urban ecosystem.

Asya kestane gal arısı olarak bilinen Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) dünyada kestane ağaçları üzerindeki en önemli ve yıkıcı zararlılardan biridir. Bu zararlı kestane üretiminde ciddi ekonomik kayıplara sebep olmasının yanı sıra tomurcuk ve yaprakları deforme ederek kestane ağaçlarının ölümüne sebep olabilmektedir. Bu çalışmada 2023 yılı Nisan ve Temmuz ayları arasında Çanakkale ili içerisinde yer alan Kaz Dağları’nda kestane ağaçları üzerinde D. kuriphilus’un varlığı ilk kez tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca, D. kuriphilus’un zarar oranı ve biyolojisi üzerine önemli veriler ortaya çıkarılmıştır. Gözlemlerimize göre açık veya koyu yeşil renkteki galler Nisan başından itibaren kestane ağaçlarının yaprak ve tomurcukları üzerinde oluşmaya başlamış daha sonraki dönemde bu galler kırmızımsı renge dönmüştür. Nisan başından Haziran başına kadar toplanan gallerin içinden çoğunlukla D. kuriphilus’un larvaları elde edilirken Haziran ve Temmuz ayları arasında toplanan gallerden ise daha çok pupa ve ergin bireyler elde edilmiştir. D. kuriphilus’un zarar oranı göz önüne alındığında ağaç başına ortalama gal sayısı 61.7 - 82.3 olurken her ağaçtaki 50 cm’lik dal üzerindeki ortalama gal sayısı ise 6.17 - 8.23 olarak belirlenmiştir. Buna göre Kazdağları’nda kestane ağaçları üzerinde D. kuriphilus’un zarar oranının ekonomik zarar eşiğinin üzerinde olduğu tespit edilmiştir.

Bu çalışmada, 2021 ve 2022 yıllarında Çanakkale ili park, peyzaj ve kentsel alanlarında bulunan konukçu bitkiler üzerindeki afitler ile beslenen predatör coccinellidler ve coccinellid-afit-konukçu bitki etkileşimlerinin ortaya çıkarılması amaçlanmıştır. Çalışma sonucunda, 25 konukçu bitkideki 27 afit türü üzerinde predatör olarak beslendiği tespit edilen Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) familyasına bağlı 6 cins içerisinde 8 tür tespit edilmiştir. Predatör coccinellidlerden, en yaygın tür 12 farklı afit türü üzerinde belirlenen Coccinella septempunctata L. olarak tespit edilmiştir. Konukçu afitlerden, en fazla predatör coccinellid türe ev sahipliği yapan afitler 3’er coccinellid ile Aphis craccivora Koch, Cinara tujafilina (Del Guercio), Hyalopterus amygdali (Blanchard) ve Hyalopterus pruni (Geoffroy) olmuştur. Konukçu bitkilerden, en fazla predatör coccinellid-afit etkileşimine ev sahipliği yapan bitkiler Hibiscus syriacus (Malvaceae), Prunus domestica (Rosaceae) ve Pyracantha coccinea (Rosaceae) olarak belirlenmiştir. Sonuç olarak, bu çalışma kapsamında Çanakkale ili park, peyzaj ve kentsel alanlarında toplam 52 farklı predatör coccinellid-konukçu afit-konukçu bitki etkileşimi ortaya çıkarılmıştır.

The aim of this study was to investigate how the primary (PHP) and secondary host plants (SHP) in the fruit orchards affect the interactions of aphids and their parasitoids in northwest Turkey during spring and summer 2020 and 2021. In total, 67 tritrophic aphid-parasitoid-host plant interactions, including new association records for Europe and Turkey, were obtained from 16 parasitoid species from the subfamily Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) reared from 25 aphid species (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on 22 PHP and SHP in the fruit orchards. Also, we evaluated the effect of the PHP and SHP on the parasitoids, aphids and their interactions. We revealed that the species richness and the values of the biodiversity indices of the parasitoids and aphids were significantly higher on the SHP than the PHP. Similarly, the aphid-parasitoid interactions on the SHP showed greater diversity than the PHP. The results of this study clearly show that the interactions of parasitoids and aphids in the fruit orchards were more diverse on the SHP compared to the PHP.

Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) is one of the phytophagous pests that cause serious economic losses in many cultivated plants. In the control of T. urticae, the use of chemicals usually comes to the fore. However, the use of chemicals in excessive amounts and in inappropriate times and doses causes many negativities because they leave residue and toxic effects on the products. Recently, studies on the effects of extracts obtained from plants on agricultural pests have been increasing day by day and yield successful results. In the study, the effect of an insecticide, which is a commercial formulation of orange oil, on egg laying behavior and acaricidal effect on T. urticae at different doses were investigated. The experiments were carried out in laboratory conditions at 65 +/- 10% humidity and 25 +/- 2 degrees C temperature conditions, on bean leaves, using leaf disc dipping method, using 5 different application doses (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 1 and 2 ml of 100 ml-1 water) and 5 was carried out recursively. Observations were made at 1, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours after the application by taking the counts of dead and live individuals. As a result of this study, the highest acaricidal effect on T. urticae individuals was determined with a mortality rate of 75.56% at 2% concentration of orange oil 96 hours after the application. In the 96th hour observations, the lowest acaricidal effect was detected at a concentration of 20% to 0.2%. Accordingly, it was observed that the acaricide effect increased as the concentration and duration of the orange oil studied in the study increased. When the effect of the insecticide with orange oil active substance on the egg laying behavior of T. urticae was examined, the number of eggs in the control group was determined as 99.40 +/- 1.26 at the same observation time, at the 2% concentration of the insecticide used, while 8.80 +/- 1.87 eggs were detected at the end of 96 hours. As a result, the acaricidal effect of orange oil on T. urticae shows that it can be used as an alternative control agent to chemical control.

Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) birçok kültür bitkisinde ciddi ekonomik kayıplara sebep olan fitofag zararlılardan biridir. T. urticae’nin mücadelesinde genellikle kimyasal kullanımı ön plana çıkmaktadır. Ancak kimyasalların fazla miktarlarda ve uygun olmayan zaman ve dozlarda kullanımı, ürünler üzerinde kalıntı ve toksik etki bırakması nedeni ile birçok olumsuzluğa neden olmaktadır. Son zamanlarda bitkilerden elde edilen ekstraktların tarımsal zararlılar üzerindeki etki çalışmaları gün geçtikçe artmakta ve başarılı sonuçlar vermektedir. Yapılan bu çalışmada, portakal yağının ticari formülasyonu olan bir insektisitin farklı dozlarda T. urticae üzerindeki yumurta bırakma davranışına yönelik etkisi ve akarisidal etkisi araştırılmıştır. Denemeler laboratuvar şartlarında %65±10 nem ve 25±2°C sıcaklık koşullarında, fasulye yaprakları üzerinde, yaprak disk daldırma yöntemi ile 5 farklı uygulama dozu (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 1 ve 2 ml 100 ml-1 su) kullanılarak ve 5 tekerrür olarak yürütülmüştür. Gözlemler uygulamadan 1, 24, 48, 72 ve 96 saat sonra ölü ve canlı birey sayımları alınarak yapılmıştır. Yapılan bu çalışma sonucunda T. urticae bireyleri üzerindeki en yüksek akarisit etkinin uygulamadan 96 saat sonra portakal yağının %2 konsantrasyonunda %75.56 ölüm oranı ile belirlenmiştir. 96. saat gözlemlerinde en düşük akarisit etki ise %20 ile %0.2’lik konsantrasyonda tespit edilmiştir. Buna göre çalışmada ele alınan portakal yağının konsantrasyon ve süresi arttıkça akarisit etkisinin de arttığı gözlenmiştir. Portakal yağı aktif maddeli insektisitin T. urticae’nin yumurta bırakma davranışı üzerindeki etkisine bakıldığında ise kullanılan insektisitin %2 konsantrasyonunda 96 saat sonunda 8.80±1.87 yumurta sayısı tespit edilirken aynı gözlem zamanında kontrol grubundaki yumurta sayısı 99.40±1.26 olarak belirlenmiştir. Sonuç olarak portakal yağının T. urticae üzerinde sağladığı akarisidal etki, kimyasal mücadeleye alternatif bir mücadele etmeni olarak kullanılabileceğini göstermektedir.