A contribution to the knowledge of heterostigmatic mites (Acari: Prostigmata) in western Mazandaran Province, Northern Iran

Heterostigmatic mites (Acari: Trombidiformes: Prostigmata) are usually associated with arthropods, especially insects, and poorly studied in Iran. As a result of a study of beetle-associated heterostigmatic mites carried out in western Mazandaran Province, northern Iran, during spring and winter 2013, a total of 14 species and 11 genera of eight families were identified. Among them Spatulaphorus vladimiri Khaustov, 2005 (Pygmephoridae), Archidispus conspicuus Kurosa, 1978; A. bembidii (Karafiat, 1959), A. armatus (Karafiat, 1959) (Scutacaridae), and Eutarsopolipus steveni Khaustov, 2010 (Podapolipidae) are new records for mite fauna of Iran. The latter is also new for Asia. Eight new beetle host records are documented and the world distribution of the mites is reviewed. Moreover, beetles of the subfamily Cicindelinae (Coleoptera: Carabidae) are recorded for the first time as hosts of Caraboacarid mites.


INTRODUCTION
Mites of the cohort Heterostigmata include a large section of prostigmatic mites (Acari: Trombidiformes) with more than 180 genera and 2400 species that are classified into 16 families and seven superfamilies till 2011 (Zhang et al., 2011). These mites manifest various attributes which have developed in the course of evolution in favor of a diversity of symbiotic ways of life in association with arthropods, especially insects (Kaliszewski et al., 1995;Bochkov et al., 2008). Most of them, namely many representatives of the Superfamilies Dolichocyboidea (except Crotalomorphidae), and Pygmephoroidea are fungivorous utilizing arthropods for phoretic dispersal but remained free-living in the nests or habitats of their host. (Kaliszewski et al., 1995;Walter et al., 2009). Some lineages of this cohort constitute the outstanding examples among the Acari, showing independently repeated, complete loss of a true free-living way of life in adaptation to parasitism and parasitoidism (Kalizewski et al., 1995). The best example of parasitism is known for the family Podapolipidae Ewing, 1922, whose members are regarded as highly specialized ectoand endoparasites of mainly variety of beetles, and less commonly some cockroaches, grasshoppers, bees and burrower bugs (Regenfuss, 1968;Husband and Li, 1993;Husband and O'Connor, 2003;Hajiqanbar and Joharchi, 2011;Husband and Husband, 2014). Some of the parasite and parasitoid heterostigmatic mites are in association with important agricultural pest insects. These mites have http://www1.montpellier.inra.fr/CBGP/acarologia/ ISSN 0044-586-X (print). ISSN 2107-7207 (electronic) 311 Katlav A. et al. lately come in for considerable scrutiny by entomologists to wonder whether they are potentially capable of being employed as biological control agents against some important pests in agroecosystems (e.g. Bruce and LeCato, 1980;Faroni et al., 2000;Kenis et al., 2008;Rhule et al., 2010). Some of the dolichocybids and pymephoroids have known to be of economic importance by feeding on edible mushrooms or transferring pathogenic fungi to plants (Cross and Kaliszewski, 1988;Kantaratanakul et al., 1989;Zou et al., 1993;Navaro et al., 2010;Moser et al., 2010). The life strategies and biological aspects of many lineages of Heterostigmata have not yet been precisely ascertained. However, for some families such as Caraboacaridae some hypotheses upon the occurrence of parasitism have been postulated (Nickel and Elzinga, 1969;Kaliszewski et al., 1995;Katlav et al., 2015). Due to the paucity of taxonomical and biological information about het-erostigmatic mites, more collection and faunistic investigations in most part of the world are required to attain better understanding of these mites (Hajiqanbar 2011). Pursuant to this objective this study was performed in Western Mazandaran Province, northern Iran.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was conducted during the period from April to late August 2013 in western Mazandaran Province, northern Iran ( Figure 1A). The host insects were collected by attracting to a light trap, sweeping, or directly in their habitats including decaying logs and wood debris, under stones and dung pads ( Figures 1B-D). Mite specimens were obtain from their hosts using an Olympus stereomicroscope, cleared in a mixture of Lactophenol and Nesbitt's solution (80:20, v/v) and mounted in Hoyer's medium. The morphology of mites was studied using a light microscope (model BX51, Olympus, Tokyo, Japan) equipped with phase contrast illumination and identified using the related references. Photographs were taken with a microscope eyepiece camera (model AM7023B, Dino-Eye, Taiwan). The systematics of families and superfamilies follow that proposed by Kaliszewski et al. (1995) and Khaustov (2008 World distribution -Tajikistan, phoretic on Onthophagus sp. (Sevastianov, 1980); Iran, Isfahan province, phoretic on Onthophagus sp. (Tajodin, 2013), Mazandaran province (current study).
Remarks -Thus far mites of the genus Pavania have been recorded in association with dung beetles of the tribes Coprini, Scarabaeini, and Onthophagini (Bahramian et al., 2015). This study has revealed the tribe Oniticellini as a new scarabaeid host tribe for this genus. World distribution -Iran, Gorgan province, phoretic on Silvanus sp.
Remarks -New record of association between dolichocybid mites and beetles of the family Zopheridae. Association between this mite and beetles of the genus Uleiota Latreille, 1796 is new. All these mentioned hosts are saproxylic and confined to the superfamily Cucujoidea. These findings possibly reinforce the ideas suggested by Rahiminejad et al. (2011a) and Katlav et al. (2014) that many dolichocybid mites occupied subcortical habitats exploited by variety of saproxylic fungi, and can be found as phoretic on any beetles (or presumably insects) whose ecological niches overlapped those of these mites.   World distribution -Holarctic.
Remarks -Heretofore mites of the family Caraboacaridae have been recorded from carabid beetles of the seven subfamilies: Carabinae, Harpalinae, Pterostichinae, Platyninae, Trechinae, Scaritinae, and Brachininae, and in one case on beetles of the family Silphidae (Trach and Kaustov, 2012;Katlav et al., 2015). This study revealed the association between caraboacarid mites and carabid beetles of the subfamily Cicindelinae as a first record.
Remarks -Thus far beetles of the families Heteroceridae and Dryopidae (superfamily Byrrhoidea), and Hydrophilidae (Superfimily Hydrophiloidea) have been documented as hosts of some Allopygmephorus spp. (Krczal, 1959;Khaustov and Hajiqanbar, 2006). Consistently, our study recorded beetles of the same superfamilies for A. persicus. Considering the fact that most of these beetles generally inhabit semi-aquatic habitats namely littoral banks, riverside debris swamps and etc. (Alekseev, 2012), it can be elucidated that these mites are damploving and frequent in such habitats.
Remarks -Hitherto, beetles of the families Curculionidae (Scolytinae) and Cerambycidae have been documented as hosts of Elattoma (Rahiminejad et al., 2011b). In this study, beetles of the family Bostrichidae are recorded as a new host family for these mites. Moreover, association of E. abeskoun and beetles of the family Curculionidae (Scolytinae) is also new.
Remarks -This is the first record of occurrence of this parasitic mite in Asia.