Authors
Abstract
Mites of the family Ascidae constitute an important group of predator arthropods that live in soil make a living, on plants and an stored products, and some species of which are in close association with humans and animals. A faunestic survey was carried out to identify the mites of the family Ascidae in Guilan province, northern Iran, during 2007-2009. Samples were taken from such different habitats as soil, plants, warehouses, manure and decaying plants. A total of 16 species from 8 genera were collected and identified. One genus (Platyseius Berlese, 1916) and four species are new records for Iran while 14 species for Guilan province mite fauna. The taxonomic characteristics of the four new species new for Iran mite fauna are given. A key is also provided for northern Iran (Guilan, Mazandran and Golestan Provinces) ascid mites. The list of the identified species is as follows with the, new species for Iran mite fauna being marked by an asterisk. Subfamily Arctoseiinae Evans, 1963: A- Genus Arctoseius Thor, 1930 [1- A. cetratus (Sellnick, 1940)]. Subfamily Ascinae Voigts & Oudemans, 1905: B- Genus Blattisocius Keegan, 1944 [2- B. keegani Fox, 1947, 3- B. tarsalis (Berlese, 1918)]; C- Genus Lasioseius Berlese, 1923 [4- L. extremus (Daneshvar, 1987), 5- L. sugawarai Ehara, 1964, 6- L. youcefi Athias-Henriot, 1959, 7-L. frankbakkeri* Faraji & Karg, 2005]; D- Genus Proctolaelaps Berlese, 1923 [8- P. pygmaeus (Müller, 1860)]; E- Genus Protogamasellus Karg, 1962 [9- Protogamasellus mica (Athias-Henriot, 1961)]; F- Gamasellodes Athias-Henriot, 1961 [10- Gamasellodes bicolor (Berlese, 1918)]. Subfamily Platyseiinae Evans, 1957: G- Cheiroseius Berlese, 1916 [11- C. longipes* (Willmann, 1951), 12- C. bryophilus* Karg, 1969, 13- C. necorniger (Oudemans, 1903), 14- C. cascadensis (De Leon, 1964) 15- C. curtipes (Halbert, 1923)]; H- Platyseius Berlese, 1916 [16- P. subglaber* (Oudemans, 1902)].
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