Zootaxa

Ontogeny and morphological diversity in immature mites (Part IX) (Title page)

ZHI-QIANG ZHANG — 2025-12-31

Ontogeny and morphological diversity in immature mites (Part IX) (Table of contents)

ZHI-QIANG ZHANG — 2025-12-31

**Ontogenetic characterization of Phytoseius huaxiensis (Acari: Phytoseiidae)**

XIAO FENG — 2025-12-31

Morphological ontogeny provides critical insight into character polarity, stage-specific diagnostic traits, and evolutionary relationships in Phytoseiidae. To advance understanding of these aspects, we reared Phytoseius huaxiensis Xin, Liang & Ke under controlled laboratory conditions and documented its complete developmental stages—larva, protonymph, deutonymph, and adult. Each stage is described and illustrated, with emphasis on diagnostic features and ontogenetic changes in dorsal shield structure, idiosomal and leg setation, and gnathosomal morphology. Comparative analysis with other phytoseiid taxa reveals both conserved and divergent traits, refining genus-level diagnoses and contributing to phylogenetic interpretation across the family.

Ontogeny of two gall-forming eriophyoid mites from Hainan Island, China (Acari: Eriophyoidea)

CHENG LIANG — 2025-12-31

Two gall-forming eriophyoid mite species from Hainan Island (China) were found during field surveys in 2025. They are Acerimina tiliaceae Mohanasundaram & Sharma, 1984 rec. nov. on Hibiscus tiliaceus L. (Malvaceae) and Aceria blachiae sp. nov. on Blachia siamensis Gagnep. (Euphorbiaceae). The adult sexes and immature stages are described and illustrated for two species. We provided the mitochondrial cox1 gene sequences for Aceria blachiae sp. nov.

New records of Zachvatkinibates (Acari, Oribatida, Punctoribatidae) in Russia, with description of ontogenetic instars of amphi-Pacific littoral Z. nortoni

SERGEY G. ERMILOV — 2025-12-31

Zachvatkinibates nortoni Behan-Pelletier & Eamer, 2005 and Z. erimo Shimano & Aoki, 2019 (Oribatida, Punctoribatidae) are recorded for the first time in Russia, from the seashore of the Magadan Region, North-East Asia. A supplementary description of the adult Z. nortoni and a description of its juvenile instars are presented. Differences between the juveniles of Z. nortoni and those of other Zachvatkinibates species for which juveniles instars have been described are provided. An identification key and a summary of the distribution and habitats of all Zachvatkinibates known from Russia are presented, along with keys to the known larvae and tritonymphs. The strictly limited littoral habitat preference of Z. nortoni and Z. erimo is accompanied by a highly flexible diet. Of the 19 known species in the genus Zachvatkinibates, nine larger-sized species are associated with seashores, while the remaining ten inhabit various mountain environments, including coniferous forests, steppes, alpine meadows, and barren areas.

**Ontogenetic instars of a new species of the genus Scapheremaeus (Acari, Oribatida, Cymbaeremaeidae) from Vietnam**

SERGEY G. ERMILOV — 2025-12-31

The genus Scapheremaeus (Oribatida, Cymbaeremaeidae) comprises 121 species having a cosmopolitan distribution. A new species—S. naiensis Ermilov sp. nov.—is described, based on adult and juvenile instars collected from branches on the Lauraceae tree in the Cat Tien National Park, southern Vietnam. The adult of the new species differs from the related species S. striatomarginatus by the number of notogastral setae, and the morphology of the anterior margin of the notogaster. The nymphal instars of the new species are characterized by the presence of exuvial scalps of the previous instars.

**Review of Damaeus (Acari: Oribatida: Damaeidae) from Crimea with description of two new cave-dwelling species**

VASILIY B. KOLESNIKOV — 2025-12-31

Two new species of Damaeus (Oribatida: Damaeidae)—D. kovali sp. nov. and D. kizilkobensis sp. nov.—are described from Crimean caves. Both new species are specialized cave-dwelling mites (eutroglophiles), without acquiring any obvious troglomorphic features in their morphology. Damaeus kovali sp. nov. undergoes its entire development cycle in caves, and we describe the morphology of all juvenile stages. If D. kizilkobensis sp. nov. also completes its ontogenetic development in caves is unknown, but according to Lebedinsky (1900), Damaeus nymphs were found in the same cave as the adults. Both species inhabit different caves located far from each other and they have not previously been found in other terrestrial habitats. The type material of two other epigeic (non-cave) species known from Crimea—D. tauricus and D. echinopus—is reexamined.

**Description of an arboreal oribatid mite species of the genus Ovobates (Acari, Oribatida, Oribatulidae), based on adult and nymphs from Vietnam**

SERGEY G. ERMILOV — 2025-12-31

The genus Ovobates (Oribatida, Oribatulidae) comprises two species distributed in the Oriental region. A new species—Ovobates ochrocarpicus sp. nov.—is described, based on adult and nymphal instars, collected from branches of the ochrocarp tree in southern Vietnam. The adult of the new species is characterized by the presence of the five pairs of notogastral porose areas and the epimeral formula 3-1-3-3. The nymphs of the new species are characterized by presence of clavate bothridial seta; setiform interlamellar seta; short, setiform, thin gastronotic setae c₁, c₂, da, la; medium-sized to long, setiform, gastronotic setae dm c₃, lm, p₂, and p₃; medium-sized, bacilliform gastronotic setae dp, h₁, and h₃; long, subflagellate, gastronotic setae lp, h₂, and p₁; epimeral formula 3-1-2-2 in tritonymph; and seven setae on the leg tarsus IV in protonymph. The generic diagnosis and a morphological comparison of adults and juvenile instars of the known species of Ovobates are presented.

**Ontogenetic stages of Czenspinskia transversostriata (Oudemans) (Acari: Winterschmidtiidae)**

KESHI ZHANG — 2025-12-31

Studies on the developmental stages of mites in the family Winterschmidtiidae are scarce. Here, we provide detailed descriptions and illustrations of the larva, protonymph, tritonymph, and adult of Czenspinskia transversostriata (Oudemans), based on individuals reared on dry yeast pellets under laboratory conditions. Comparisons of idiosomal and leg chaetotaxy among stages are also presented.

An introduction to Part IX of “Ontogeny and morphological diversity in immature mites”

ZHI-QIANG ZHANG — 2025-12-31