Tarsonemid mites (Acari, Heterostigmatina) found in association with bark beetles (Insecta, Curculionidae, Scolytinae) in Iran

* Correspondence: [email protected] Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are one of the most important pests of woody plants, with immense economic impact, attacking unthrifty, broken, over-mature, dying, or, rarely, even healthy hosts (Wood, 1982). Among bark beetle species, the larger European elm beetle, Scolytus scolytus (Fabricius, 1775), the smaller European elm beetle, S. multistriatus (Marsham, 1802), and the Mediterranean pine engraver beetle, Orthotomicus erosus (Wollaston, 1857), are considered harmful pests of several species of forest and ornamental trees. The first of these species is distributed in Asia and Europe, while the other two are found on most continents (Bright, 2014). All of them are considered destructive pests of forest and ornamental trees in Iran (Abai, 2009). Bark beetles share their microhabitats with many species of mites and other microorganisms. Mites of the family Tarsonemidae are considered important biofactors in association with bark beetles and their communities (Lindquist and Bedard, 1961; Moser, 1985; Lombardero et al., 2003, and others). The feeding habits of tarsonemid associates of bark beetles are mostly unknown (Pseudotarsonemoides, Heterostarsonemus, many Tarsonemus) but some Tarsonemus species are considered fungivores (Lombardero et. al. 2000) while fewer (Iponemus Beer and Nucifora, 1965) feed on eggs of their insect hosts (Lindquist, 1969b). None of the tarsonemids are known to be true parasites of bark beetles, but many use them as phoretic carriers and sometimes can carry and propagate spores of fungi they are feeding on (Moser, 1985; Lombardero et al., 2003). Tarsonemid fauna associated with scolytines has been well studied in some parts of the world (Lindquist, 1969a, 1969b; Smiley and Moser, 1974; 1985; Moser et al., 1989; Khaustov and Magowski, 2003; Magowski and Khaustov, 2006; Magowski, 2010), but is little known in Iran. To date, only a small number of publications have reported six identified and one unidentified species of Tarsonemidae living in association with bark beetles in Iran (Ostovan and Kamali, 1997; Ahadiyat et al., 2004; Magowski et al., 2007; Magowski, 2010; Arabzadeh et al., 2012). The purpose of the present study was to present new and corrected data on species belonging to the genera Pseudotarsonemoides Vitzthum, 1921, Heterotarsonemus Smiley, 1969, and Tarsonemus Canestrini and Fanzago, 1876 recovered from galleries and individuals of three bark beetle species from Tehran and Guilan provinces in Iran. The taxonomic classification of Tarsonemidae, detailed diagnoses, and descriptions of genera reported herewith can be found in Lindquist (1986). Mite specimens were removed manually from bark samples or insect individuals collected from forests and minor wooded areas during two periods in Abstract: The authors report on the presence of species of the family Tarsonemidae in association with three bark beetle species (Orthotomicus erosus (Wollaston, 1857), Scolytus scolytus (Fabricius, 1775), and S. multistriatus (Marsham, 1802)) in two provinces in Central and Northern Iran. The following mite species are new for the fauna of Iran: Heterotarsonemus hajekae Smiley and Moser, 1985, H. magowskii Khaustov, 2001, and Tarsonemus crassus (Schaarschmidt, 1959). The genus Heterotarsonemus is newly recorded in Asia. The new record of H. hajekae is the second ever known in the world and H. magowskii is now established as new phoront of the bark beetle host O. erosus. Tarsonemus crassus is recorded outside the Europe for the first time. The taxonomy, identification, relationships with beetle hosts, and biogeography of the newly recorded mite species are briefly discussed.