مشخصات پژوهش

Eriophyoid mites are an important group of tiny tetrapodili vermiform mites due to the direct damage they can cause to their hosts, their ability to transmit serious plant diseases and also due to the possibility of using them as biological agents for weed control. This superfamily consists of three families Eriophyidae Nalepa, Phytoptidae Murray and Diptilomiopidae Keifer. Members of the family Eriophyidae are differentiated from Phytoptidae species by the absence of any setae on prodorsal shield or having just scapular setae on that. They are differentiated from Diptilomiopid mites by having small gnathosoma in comparison to the body, with chelicerae straight or slightly curved. During the survey on eriophyid mites fauna of Maku county in West Azerbaijan province of Iran, in the summer of 2020, eriophyid mites were recovered from plant samples using a modified washing method. The mites were mounted and morphological measurements were taken using a phase contrast microscope Olympus BX53. Four eriophyid species were identified: Aceria balasi Farkas, 1960, collected on the host plant Carduus acanthoides L. (Compositae), was new to Iran mite fauna; Aculus thyrsoidi Lotfollahi & Tajaddod, 2018, from Eryngium amethystinum L. (Apiaceae), Aculus asparagi Lotfollahi & Tajaddod, 2018, occasionally from Anchusa sp. (Boraginaceae) and Aceria khaniensis Honarmand, Sadeghi & de Lillo, 2020, from Artemisia abrotanum L. (Compositae), were new records to the fauna of West Azerbaijan province.