Research Specifications

Mites of the superfamily Eriophyoidea (Acari: Acariformes) are small obligate phytoparasitic mites. They have been identified as the sister group of the soil deep-dwelling mites of the family Nematalycidae. They are also known as gall mites, rust mites, erinose mites, and blister mites . Among herbivorous mites, eriophyoid mites are among the most diverse herbivorous groups, with nearly 6000 species classified in three families: Eriophyidae, Diptilomiopidae, and Phytoptidae . To investigate eriophyoid mite fauna (Acari: Acariformes: Eriophyoidea) in Jolfa County (East Azerbaijan, Iran), sampling was done in Siyahsaran village during summer 2023. Eriophyid mites were recovered from the plant material by direct examination and preserved in vials of Oudemans’ fluid . Collected specimens were mounted on microscope slide . Morphological measurements and identification were done by using an Olympus BX53 Phase contrast microscope. During this study, four species belonging to four genera were identified, including: Aceria loborectiangulae Lotfollahi & Tajaddod, 2018, vagrant on Atraphaxis sp. (Polygonaceae); Epitrimerus gibbosus (Nalepa, 1892) vagrant on Rubus sp. (Rosaceae), the new record for East Azerbaijan province, herein redescribed and illustrated; Aculus sp. nov. and Notallus sp. nov. vagrant on Asparagus verticillatus L. (Asparagaceae). Until now, four Notallus species have been discovered in the world that two of them are endemic to Iran. Here, we discovered and described the fifth Iranian Notallus species. Also, only one eriophyoid species is found on Asparagus plants worldwide that is endemic to Iran, and herein we collected the second Iranian new eriophyoid species on A. verticillatus.