Ectoparasitic mites feeding on aphids with redescription of Abrolophus viburnicolus (Acari: Erythraeidae) from Çanakkale, Türkiye

This study was conducted to determine the ectoparasitic mite fauna (Acari: Trombidiformes: Prostigmata) parasiting on aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in parks, gardens, landscapes and urban areas in Çanakkale province, Türkiye during the spring and summer seasons of 2021–2022. From 3090 aphids examined, a total of 943 parasitic mite specimens were recovered. Ten mite species were identified, including Abrolophus viburnicolus (Fain & Çobanoğlu, 1998), Balaustium akramii Noei, 2017, Charletonia krendowskyi (Feider, 1954), Erythraeus (Erythraeus) ankaraicus Saboori, Çobanoğlu & Bayram, 2004, Erythraeus (Zaracarus) budapestensis Fain & Ripka, 1998, Erythraeus (Z.) kurdistaniensis Khanjani & Ueckermann, 2005, Erythraeus (Z.) passidonicus Haitlinger, 2006, Allothrombium fuliginosum (Hermann, 1804), A. shirazicum Zhang, 1996 and A. triticium Zhang, 1995. Among these, Abrolophus viburnicolus is redescribed here, while Allothrombium shirazicum represents a new record for the Turkish fauna. Erythraeus (E.) ankaraicus was the most abundant mite species (39.8%), followed by A. fuliginosum (21.7%), A. shirazicum (20.3%) and E. (Z.) budapestensis (10.0%). The remaining species each accounted for less than 3% of the total. Aphis sp. (23.3%) was the most common aphid host, followed by Aphis craccivora (14.7%), and Hyalopterus pruni (10.6%). The majority of the mites (85.6%) were mostly collected in May. This study revealed a high prevalence of ectoparasitic mites associated with aphids and highlights the importance of further research to assess their potential as biocontrol agents of aphids under both laboratory and field conditions.