Bruce Halliday’s research while affiliated with Australian National Insect Collection, The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and other places

This paper records new locality data for six species of ectoparasitic mites and ticks from bats in Ethiopia – Spinturnix scotophili, Spinturnix faini, Spinturnix semilunaris, Chelanyssus aethiopicus, Ixodes simplex, Carios vespertilionis. Five new host-parasite associations are recorded – Spinturnix scotophili on Myotis bocagei; Spinturnix faini on Miniopterus cf. arenarius; Spinturnix semilunaris on Miniopterus arenarius; Ixodes simplex on Rhinolophus landeri; Carios vespertilionis on Mops midas.

This study reviews some species of mites in the family Pachylaelapidae from Türkiye. Onchodellus marginatus sp. nov. and Pachylaelaps (Longipachylaelaps) vermiger sp. nov. are described as new species. Olopachys (Olopachys) caucasicus Koroleva, 1976, and Pachylaelaps (Pachylaelaps) imitans Berlese, 1920 are re-described on the basis of newly-collected specimens.

We describe a new genus in the mite family Laelapidae from Slovakia, Ochaechulla gen. nov., to accommodate a new species, Ochaechulla spinturniciformis sp. nov., based on females collected from under loose tree bark that probably served as a bat roost. The new genus is characterized by a specific idiosomal setation with the loss of some setae on the dorsal shield and opisthogastric region, hypotrichy of the legs, an unusual arrangement of the ventral shields and legs on the idiosoma, and strongly shortened peritremes. Its thick dorsal setae, modified body shape, and strong reddish-brown sclerotization most closely resemble the ectoparasites of small mammals in the genus Laelaps C. L. Koch, although its unique combination of features clearly distinguishes it from them and any other dermanyssoids. The radial arrangement of the legs around the margin of the idiosoma is similar to the genus Spinturnix von Heyden.

The mite Ophionyssus natricis (Gervais, 1844) (Macronyssidae) is a widespread ectopara-site of reptiles and a vector of some important veterinary diseases. This paper reviews the geographic distribution and host range of O. natricis and the available information about its clinical significance. Some incorrect identifications and host records are also identified. The snake mite has been collected from 144 species of reptiles, mostly snakes, as well as one amphibian and three species of mammals. It has been recorded in 36 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, and Australia. Its geographic range has undoubtedly been extended by human activities. Our records of O. natricis on the lizards Darevskia brauneri (Méhely, 1909) and Ophisops elegans Ménétries 1832, and on the snake Telescopus fallax Fleischmann, 1831, are new host records.

A new species of the genus Leptus, L. (L.) brevitarsus sp. n., is described and illustrated from ectoparasitic larvae collected from grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in Australia. The new species belongs to the phalangii species group and torresianus species subgroup. An updated key to species of torresianus species subgroup is presented.

Several important papers discussing phoretic dispersal in animals have appeared in recent years, but the nature and evolutionary significance of the phenomenon are still not fully understood. This article reviews the current knowledge of this behaviour in Uropodina mites, which disperse at the deutonymphal stage. We first examine the morphological and behavioural attributes of Uropodina deutonymphs involved in phoretic dispersal. We then provide a systematic review of the animals that carry Uropodina, and examine the carrier-specificity of 30 well-known species. Most species are associated with a single family of carriers, or at most, two families. The available information shows that phoretic deutonymphs of most species do not show any preference for male or female carriers. The spatial pattern of attachment of phoretic deutonymphs varies according to the identity of the carrier insect. The nature of deutonymph infestation depends on the size and morphology of both the mite and its carrier. Successful phoresy also depends on synchronisation of the life cycles of the mite and its carrier, but the temporal dynamics of phoresy remain particularly poorly studied. Phoresy has ecological and evolutionary consequences for both the Uropodina and their carriers. Future research on phoresy will benefit from studies of its evolutionary development, the reasons why beetles appear to be specially favoured as carriers, how phoretic mites affect the insect that carries them, and how the apparent global decline in insect populations is affecting their symbiotic mites.

Laelapidae Canestrini, 1891 is one of the most diverse mite families in the order Mesostigmata, but the Indian fauna of this family is very poorly known. This paper is a checklist of the known species of Laelapidae recorded from India, with a summary of the available information on the distribution and biology of each species. The known fauna includes 66 species in 21 genera, plus seven species whose generic placement is unresolved and a number of others that lack validly published descriptions.

The brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus (sensu lato) in the southeastern Mediterranean region and the Middle East is difficult to identify due to the presence of multiple mitochondrial DNA haplogroup lineages. The purpose of this study was to clarify the identity of the “southeastern Europe” lineage of this tick species complex. Our research shows that female ticks of the “southeastern Europe” lineage correspond to the morphology of R. rutilus Koch, 1844 as found in type-material at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin in Germany. We characterised the complete mitogenomes of R. rutilus, R. turanicus Pomerantsev, 1940 and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille, 1806) in order to improve our understanding of the phylogenetic relationships among species within the R. sanguineus (sensu lato) complex. The material associated with the morphology of R. rutilus was previously labelled as the “southeastern Europe” lineage and found in Israel and Egypt, including Lower Egypt and the Nile Delta, where the original type-material was collected. Based on the morphology, genetic identity, and geographical distribution of the species, we conclude that the name R. rutilus is correctly linked to the “southeastern Europe” lineage of R. sanguineus (sensu lato).

Two new species of Blattisociidae mites, Lasioseius triplax sp. nov. and Lasioseius verruciger sp. nov., are described from females found in phoretic association with the mycophagous erotylid beetle Triplax russica (Linnaeus) and under the bark of dying conifers, respectively, both from southwestern Slovakia. The new species are unusual in having reduced sclerotization of the posterior part of the sternal shield. Only a few species of Lasioseius Berlese have this character state, the purpose and possible function of which are unknown. An identification key for species with reduced sclerotization of the sternal shield is presented. Lasioseius allii Chant is firstly reported from Slovakia, and some notes on the morphology of this and related species are given. for publication: http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:61410D92-6C52-47AD-B395-8F14D88EAA52 for Lasioseius triplax: http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:91EB66A2-DF6F-4134-8489- F7AAE4019FC1 for Lasioseius verruciger: http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:758ECDE2-C0B7-481C-8A40-427149722455