TY  - JOUR
JF  - Acarologia
T1  - New records of flat and peacock mites (Acari: Tetranychoidea) from the Caucasus and Georgia
VL  - 66
IS  - Suppl
SP  - 100
EP  - 100
PY  - 2026
SN  - 0044-586X
SN  - 2107-7207
PB  - Les Amis d'Acarologia
AU  - Tea, Arabuli
AU  - Mariam, Gogshelidze
AU  - Lado, Shavadze
UR  - https://doi.org/10.24349/6k93-ju8o
DO  - 10.24349/6k93-ju8o
DA  - 2026-07-20
ET  - 2026-07-20
KW  - Biodiversity
KW  - New records
KW  - Flat mite
KW  - Peacock mite
KW  - Caucasus
AB  - The Caucasus region is recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot; however, the fauna of flat mites (Tenuipalpidae) and peacock mites (Tuckerellidae) remains insufficiently explored. Prior to 2013, 27 species of Tenuipalpidae and one species of Tuckerellidae had been recorded from Georgia, during the last decade, this number increased to 38 and 2 species, respectively. Till 2025, the following five genera of Tenuipalpidae had been recorded in Georgia: Aegyptobia, Brevipalpus, Cenopalpus, Pentamerismus, and Tenuipalpus. Out of the 27 recorded species of Tenuipalpidae, 12 were originally discovered and described from Georgia. The present study expands the known diversity of Tetranychoidea in the region by documenting 12 species newly recorded from the Caucasus and Georgian fauna. Among them, the genus Colopalpusis recorded for the first time from the Caucasus, and C. kvavadzeirepresents a new species for the science. 7 species are newly recorded for the Caucasus region, while four species are new records for Georgia. Specimens were collected throughout Georgia using transect-based surveys across diverse habitats and host plants. Leaves and twigs were individually bagged and transported to the laboratory. Mites were extracted using distilled water, filtered through 20 µm and 400 µm sieves, preserved in 70% ethanol, and mounted in Hoyer’s medium. Voucher specimens are deposited in the Acarology Collection of the Institute of Zoology, Ilia State University. Among the newly recorded taxa, one species belongs to the peacock mite family Tuckerellidae: Tuckerella japonica Ehara, 1975. The remaining 11 species belong to the family Tenuipalpidae and represent six genera: Cenopalpus (Cenopalpoides) wainsteini Livschitz & Mitrofanov, 1967; C. lanceolatisetae(Attiah, 1956); Brevipalpus cuneatus (Canestrini & Fanzago, 1876); Aegyptobia tragardhi Sayed, 1950; A. beglarovi Livschitz & Mitrofanov, 1967; A. exarata Livschitz & Mitrofanov, 1967; Pentamerismus foliicetis Livschitz & Mitrofanov, 1967; P. taxi Haller, 1877; Tenuipalpus granati Sayed, 1946; T. rosae Kadzhaja, 1955; and Colopalpus kvavadzei Arabuli, 2025, described here as a species new to science. The following seven species T. japonica, C. (C.) wainsteini, B. cuneatus, A. tragardhi, A. exarata, P. foliicetis, and T. rosae are newly recorded for the fauna of the Caucasus. In addition, four species C. lanceolatisetae, A. beglarovi, P. taxi, and T. granati are newly recorded for the fauna of Georgia. These findings significantly expand current knowledge of the diversity and distribution of Tetranychoidea in the Caucasus region. The results demonstrate that the regional fauna remains underexplored and emphasize the need for continued systematic and biogeographic investigations.
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