An updated checklist of cheyletid mites (Acariformes: Cheyletidae) of Egypt is provided. The list was compiled from a survey of published literature and from examining some previously described species. The list of the Egyptian Cheyletidae includes now 5 tribes, 15 genera, 27 species, one genus inquirenda (Aegyptocheyla Yousef) and five species inquirendae (Acaropsellina tyrophagus El-Badry, Cheletomimus minutus Soliman, Chiapacheylus desertorum Zaher and Soliman, C. macrocorneus Zaher and Soliman and Neoeucheyla macrocorneus Soliman). A key to the Egyptian cheyletids is also presented.

The old world date mite, Oligonychus afrasiaticus (McGregor, 1939) (Acari: Tetranychidae) is a severe spider mite pest of date palm in most of the Middle East and North Africa. Considering that nothing is known about the performance of phytoseiid predators against O. afrasiaticus. Biology, predation and life table parameters of Cydnoseius negevi (Swirski & Amitai, 1961) and Neoseiulus barkeri Hughes (Acari: Phytoseiidae), collected from date palm orchards, were studied under laboratory conditions (25, 35ºC and 35 ± 10% RH) as a first step to understand their effectiveness against all mobile life stages of O. afrasiaticus. For both predators, oviposition period was significantly shorter at 35 than at 25ºC. The following parameters were obtained for C. negevi and N. barkeri at 25 and 35°C, respectively: female longevity, 31.8, 20.1, 35.7, 27.4 days; fecundity, 21.6, 38.0, 18.8, 34.8 eggs/female; oviposition period, 23.9, 13.7, 25.9, 18.1 days. Total predation of C. negevi and N. barkeri female was 246.0, 270.0, 227.6, 205.3 prey at 25 and 35°C, respectively. Rectal plugs were observed attached to the opisthosoma of some adult¬ females of N. barkeri, which often cause the mite to stick to the surface. Life table parameters were estimated as net reproductive rate (Rо) 10.44, 17.35, 10.19, 13.84, intrinsic rate of increase (rm) 0.14, 0.19, 0.13, 0.16 days-1, finite rate of increase (λ) 1.15, 1.21, 1.12, 1.17 days-1, generation time (T) 17.03, 15.17, 17.83, 16.61 days, doubling time (DT) 04.95, 03.64, 05.33, 04.33 days for C. negevi and N. barkeri at 25 and 35ºC, respectively. The values of intrinsic rate of increase and net reproductive rate were higher in C. negevi than N. barkeri at both temperature regimes. Therefore, it could be concluded that C. negevi performance was better than N. barkeri against O. afrasiaticus and can be considered as a valuable addition to the existing methods for spider mites control.

Mite fauna of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is poorly studied. Based on published works, only 26 species (representing three orders, 18 families and 24 genera) were previously reported from coleopteran insects, plants, leaf litter and soil. This paper reports 11 new records of mites from the emirate of Dubai. A checklist of the taxa reported from the UAE to date is presented.

Faunistic information about bat mites in Egypt is scarce. Collection records of parasitic mites, Meristaspis lateralis (Kolenati, 1856) (Mesostigmata: Spinturnicidae), are reported from the Egyptian fruit bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus (Geoffroy, 1810) (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in Assiut Governorate, Egypt. Seven species of bat mites are recognized from Egypt to date. A host-parasite checklist and an identification key to these species are presented.

Mites inhabiting citrus orchards in Egypt were listed. The checklist, compiled from a survey of published literature, contains 149 mite species representing 39 families. It is expected that the number of the Egyptian mite species inhabiting different citrus cultivations will increase as comprehensive surveys continue. The most diverse order, Prostigmata, is represented by 95 species followed by, Mesostigmata, with 37 species. The families with the most citrus mite species known from Egypt are the Phytoseiidae and Tetranychidae with 18 and 12 species.

The date palm, Phoenix dactylifera , is attacked by several mite species that frequently cause signifi cant damage. The Banks grass mite, Oligonychus pratensis (Banks), and the Old World date mite, Oligonychus afrasiaticus (McGregor), (Acari: Tetranychidae) are considered major pests of date palms. The spider mite Eutetranychus palmatus Attiah (Tetranychidae), the red palm mite, Raoiella indica Hirst, and the red and black fl at mite, Brevipalpus phoenicis (Geijskes), (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) are considered pests of minor importance to date palm. This chapter summarizes the present knowledge about the distribution, host range, damage, biology, seasonal incidence and management practices of these species. Strategies used for mites are centered on the use of chemical pesticides. Often, the extensive use of these products has resulted in secondary pest outbreaks, undermining the adoption of sustainable pest management programs. Alternative management tactics, including biological control, have not been widely adopted by date producers. Therefore, since more research is needed, future research priorities are also discussed.

Within the scope of a project investigating phytophagous and predacious mites associated with date palm,Phoenix dactylifera L. (Arecaceae), a comprehensive survey was conducted at five different provinces of Saudi Arabia. Eleven species within eight genera of false spider mites (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) were recorded from date palm trees, ground cover plants, and soil debris. Among them, three genera, Dolichotetranychus Sayed, Phytoptipalpus Sayed and Pseudoleptus Bruyant and three species, Pentamerismus retusus Meyer, Pseudoleptus kermanshahiensis Khanjani, Khanjani, Saboori & Seeman and Tenuipalpus bagdadensis Al-Gboory, are new to the mite fauna of Saudi Arabia. Two new species, Phytoptipalpus phoenicis sp. nov. and Dolichotetranychus riyadhensis sp. nov., collected from P. dactylifera and Cynodon dactylon L. (Poaceae), respectively, are described and illustrated. A key to species of Tenuipalpidae reported from date palms worldwide is given.

A new mite species, Zetzellia camphorae sp. n. (Acari, Stigmaeidae), is described and illustrated based on adult females. Mites were collected from leaf domatia of camphor trees, Cinnamomum camphora (L.) J. Presl. (Lauraceae) infested with the eriophyid mite, Aceria sp. (Eriophyidae) in Kyoto, Japan. An identification key to the adult females of the Japanese Stigmaeidae is provided.

Predatory mites of the family Phytoseiidae are important natural enemies of phytophagous mites and small insects. Phytoseiid mites often experience a variety of stresses brought about by changing or fluctuating environmental factors in the field or laboratory or during their commercial production. These factors include abiotic stressors such as extreme temperature and humidity, ultraviolet radiation, and pesticides, and biotic stressors such as cannibalism, intraguild predation, food shortage, and pathogens, all of which affect the biocontrol potential of phytoseiid mites. The extent to which an environmental stressor may affect the biocontrol efficacy of phytoseiid mites depends on the characteristics of the species and on other concurrent stresses. In this review, we discuss the effects of environmental stressors on various biological and ecological aspects of phytoseiid mites, such as development, survival, reproduction, and predation, and the mites’ adaptation strategies to these stressors.

The present work aims to study the taxonomy of parasitid mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) from Egypt. The identification of newly collected specimens as well as the examination of some previously described species is presented. Cornigamasus ocliferius Skorupski & Witali
ski, 1997, extracted from cow dung, is recorded for the first time from this country. Adults and deutonymphs of Parasitus consanguineus Oudemans&Voigts, 1904 and P. fimetorum (Berlese, 1904), worldwide cosmopolitan species, were found in animal dung and soil. Three genera with seven species are known from Egypt to date. Redescriptions of adults and deutonymphs are provided for the known species. Also, a taxonomic key to the Egyptian parasitids is presented.