گزارش دو میزبان جدید برای جنس Achaemenothrombium (Prostigmata: Achaemenothrombidae) از استان خراسان جنوبی، ایران

The Parasitengona are a group of Trombidiformes mites classified within the suborder of Prostigmata. These mites play an effective role in the natural control of the various arthropods. The family Achaemenothrombidae Saboori, Wohltmann & Hakimitabar, 2010 (Acari: Trombidiformes: Trombidioidea) was described for the first time on the basis of larval stage from Iran. This family represented by a single genus Achaemenothrombium Saboori, Wohltmann & Hakimitabar, 2010, from which five species have been described from Iran and are distinguished by the following characters: number of setae on coxae I–III, number of normal setae on genua I–II, number of solenidia on tarsi I–II and number of normal setae and solenidia on tibia I. The larvae of this genus are known as ectoparasites of Lepidoptera (Crambidae, Erebidae, Geometridae, Noctuidae, Nymphalidae) and Orthoptera (Acrididae and Tettigoniidae). Our ongoing studies, aimed to survey the larvae of the terrestrial Parasitengona ectoparasites on arthropoda with different sampling methods in various habitats of South Khorasan province in 2022–2023. During this survey, the larval specimens were separated from their associated hosts, cleared in lactic acid or lactophenol solutions and mounted on microscope slides in Hoyer’s medium. As a results, the larval stages of two species of the genus Achaemenothrombium including A. saboorii Noei, 2021 and A. khashayarshahi Noei, 2022, were detached and identified from the hind leg tibia of tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus Latreille, 1806 (Acari: Ixodidae) and from underside of the front wings of the host moth, Axiopoena maura Eichwald, 1832 (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae), respectively. The host of A. saboorii larva was collected by an insect net from Doroh village, Sarbisheh city and the host of A. khashayarshahi larvae were collected using a light trap from Giuk village, Birjand city. Both host associations were unknown until the evidences achived during our studies and are reported for the first time in the world.