اولین گزارش کنه Scutacarus avarus Khaustov, 2008 (Acari: Heterostigmata: Scutacaridae) از آسیا

Heterostigmatic mites are one of the cohorts in suborder Prostigmata, most of which are associated with other animals and may be parasite, fungivor and or phytophage. One of the families in this cohort is Scutacaridae (Acari: Prostigmata: Heterostigmata) which their members are cosmopolitan and usually found in soil, manures, compost, nest of small animals and phoretic on the various insects (including orders Hymenoptera and Coleoptera). Hitherto, 25 genera and more than 800 species have been described in this family. The genus Scutacarus Gros, 1845 is largest in the family and includes more than 170 species in Palaearctic, particularly associated with ants, some hymenopterans, beetles and a few flies. During samplings from vicinity of Borujerd city (Lorestan province) in 2016, in order to do faunistic study of the heterostigmatic mites associated with insects, we found Scutacarus avarus Khaustov, 2008 from sediments of an alcohol vial containing some ants that were collected by aspirator. Mites were cleared in lactophenol and fixed in Hoyer’s medium. The morphology of the mites was studied using a phase contrast microscope (Olympus BX51) equipped with a drawing tube. This mite is most similar to Scutacarus pleurotricha Mahunka, 1970, however is distinguished from this species by shorter dorsal idiosomal setae and subequal setae d and f (dorsal idiosomal setae longer and seta d much shorter than seta f in S. pleurotricha). Previously, this mite has been reported from southern shores of Crimean peninsula associated with Formica cunicularia Latreille, 1798. Therefore, this is first record of this mite from Asia.