Mohamed Waleed Negm

Oligonychus tylus has recently emerged as a new pest of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in India's coastal regions, raising concerns given the crop's economic significance and the growing threat of mite infestations. Understanding the basic biology of this species is a critical first step toward assessing the risk it poses- information that has, until now, been largely lacking. To address this gap, we studied the comparative biology and life-table parameters of O. tylus on different host plants under controlled laboratory conditions (28 ± 2 °C, 70 ± 5% RH, 16:8 h L). Interestingly, while both male and female mites lived longest when reared on maize followed by pearl millet, sorghum, and sugarcane, with the shortest lifespan recorded on date palm-the population growth told a different story. The net reproductive rate (R0) was highest on date palm (10.33 ± 0.49 females/female/generation) and lowest on maize (6.17 ± 0.31). The intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm) was highest on date palm (0.084 day⁻¹) and lowest on maize (0.050 day⁻¹). In other words, although date palm shortened individual mite lifespans, it supported faster population growth overall, suggesting that this host provides especially favorable conditions for the species to multiply. Given that date palm is commonly grown alongside sugarcane, sorghum, and pearl millet in India's coastal belts, this finding raises an important concern: O. tylus populations building up on date palm could readily spill over and threaten these neighboring crops as well. These results offer valuable baseline data for future pest-risk assessments and integrated management strategies targeting this emerging mite pest.

A species list of phytoseiid mites (Acari: Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) in Japan is presented. The list was compiled from a survey of published literature, re-examination of accessible permanent slides, and from records obtained during field trips. A total of 97 taxa of phytoseiid mites, known to the species level, are so far reported as native to Japan. In addition, eight species are regarded as exotic, having been introduced into Japan. These phytoseiid mites are represented by the three subfamilies and 22 genera. The subfamily with the most known species is the Amblyseiinae Muma, with 64 species, among which 17 are in the genus Amblyseius Berlese, 15 in Neoseiulus Hughes, seven in Typhlodromips De Leon, four in Scapulaseius Karg & Oomen-Kalsbeek, three in each of Euseius Wainstein, Paraphytoseius Swirski & Schechter, and Proprioseiopsis Muma, two in each of Amblyseiulella Muma, Gynaeseius Wainstein, Okiseius Ehara, and Transeius Chant & McMurtry, and one in each of the genera, Amblydromalus (Garman & McGregor), Iphiseius Berlese, Phytoscutus Muma and Phytoseiulus Athias-Henriot. In the subfamily Phytoseiinae Berlese, there are 13 species of Phytoseius Ribaga, while the subfamily Typhlodrominae Wainstein, is represented by 28 species, of these, 23 in Typhlodromus and one species in each of the genera, Chanteius Wainstein, Galendromus Muma, Kuzinellus Wainstein, Paraseiulus Muma and Typhlodromina Muma. Identification keys to subfamilies, tribes, genera and species of the Phytoseiidae in Japan are presented.

Organisms that physically modify their environment, known as ecosystem engineers, can influence resource availability, species interactions and the structure of soil communities. However, the specific effect of ecosystem engineers like ants on the abundance and diversity of non-engineering soil organisms remains understudied. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a survey of a multi-taxon belowground community of soil microarthropods—Collembola, Mesostigmata, Oribatida and Actinedida—in urban areas, comparing nest mounds of the ant species Lasius niger and Lasius flavus with areas without ant-nesting activity (control). We hypothesised differences in abundance and distribution patterns of different soil microarthropod taxa between ant mounds and the control soil. We also hypothesised that ant-induced soil disturbance is species-specific, and may result in different patterns of diversity and composition of soil microarthropod assemblages within trophic levels, such as among detritivores (e.g., Collembola) and predators (e.g., Mesostigmata). Our results reveal how ecological filters shape different soil microarthropod groups’ responses to ant-driven changes in their environment. As we expected, soil disturbance caused by ant nest-building activity significantly influenced the abundance, distribution patterns and diversity of soil microarthropods, especially in the assembly of detritivorous—but not predatory—guilds of soil microarthropods.

Organisms that physically modify their environment, known as ecosystem engineers, can influence resource availability, species interactions and the structure of soil communities. However, the specific effect of ecosystem engineers like ants on the abundance and diversity of non-engineering soil organisms remains understudied. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a survey of a multi-taxon belowground community of soil microarthropods - Collembola, Mesostigmata, Oribatida and Actinedida - in urban areas, comparing nest mounds of the ant species Lasius niger (Linnaeus, 1758) and Lasius flavus (Fabricius, 1782) with areas without ant-nesting activity (control). We hypothesised differences in abundance and distribution patterns of different soil microarthropod taxa between ant mounds and the control soil. We also hypothesised that ant-induced soil disturbance is species specific, and may result in different patterns of diversity and composition of soil microarthropod assemblages within trophic levels, such as among detritivores (e.g. Collembola) and predators (e.g. Mesostigmata, which are mainly free-living predatory species in soil litter habitats). Our results reveal how ecological filters shape different soil microarthropod groups’ responses to ant-driven changes in their environment. As we expected, soil disturbance caused by ant nest-building activity significantly influenced the abundance, distribution patterns and diversity of these soil microarthropods.

Acarologia Prof. M.A. Zaher: one of the most important pioneers of acarology in Egypt

Six species of mesostigmatid mites, Asca nesoica Athias-Henriot (Ascidae), Blattisocius tarsalis (Berlese) and Lasioseius aff. dentatus (Fox) (Blattisociidae), Onchodellus calcaratus (Koroleva) (Pachylaelapidae), Proctolaelaps bickleyi (Bram) (Melicharidae), and Zygoseius furciger (Berlese) (Rhodacaroidea) are recorded for the first time in Syria. Mites were collected from three localities at Latakia and Hama governorates during the period from 2013 to 2020. These new records increase the number of the Syrian species of Mesostigmata to 48 species, but many more species are yet to be discovered.

A redescription of the adult stages of Panonychus caglei Mellott, 1968 (Acari: Tetranychidae), is presented based on new material collected from Japan, and type specimens (holotype and paratypes). Morphological differences in the setation of legs have been reported and measurements of taxonomic characters are added. We also have described the ontogenetic development of the juvenile stages. The ventral idiosomal chaetotaxy in larval stage lacks pregenital and genital setae which are added consecutively through development. The pregenital pair of setae appears in the protonymphs while the first pair of genital setae is firstly observed in the deutonymphal stage.

Proctolaelaps bickleyi (Bram) (Acari: Melicharidae) is an edaphic predatory mite commonly associates with insects. Although P. bickleyi has been reported from many countries worldwide, it is reported herein for the first time in Japan from laboratory cultures of Chilo suppressalis (Walker) and Cossus insularis (Staudinger) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae, Cossidae). Proctolaelaps bickleyi is redescribed and illustrated from females, males, deutonymphs, protonymphs and larvae. The morphological ontogeny of idiosomal and leg chaetotaxy is discussed and a key to the Japanese species of Proctolaelaps is provided.

The predatory mites, Neoseiulus longispinosus (Evans) and N. womersleyi (Schicha) (Phytoseiidae) are two morphologically close species. Although they can be mainly separated by the length of the dorsal seta S5, misidentifications may occur. The present study investigated various strains of the two closely related species collected from Japan, Taiwan and/or Thailand using a combination of morphological and molecular data. We described and illustrated the adults and immature stages. We also sequenced the 28S region of nuclear ribosomal DNA to determine whether these strains represent different species. The two species could be clearly separated based on the length of seta S5 and the ratio of setae Z5/S5. In a 28S tree, the examined strains also formed separate clades with 100% bootstrap values. We conclude that a combination of different methods is often necessary to precisely distinguish these closely related taxa.