• ÖZ

The most serious environmental challenge facing humanity is the massive, widespread and continuing loss of biodiversity due to human activities. The commonly reported root causes of the decline and extinction of species are the degradation, destruction and fragmentation of habitat; pollution; pesticide use; invasive species; climate change; and over-exploitation; with co-extinction cascades accelerating the losses. The current alarming rate of loss of species across the biodiversity spectrum has ecological, economic, social, aesthetic, cultural and spiritual impacts that directly undermine the welfare of all humanity. This unprecedented crisis demands an urgent, science-based, comprehensive, coordinated, global response. Among the organizations responding to the multifaceted challenge of biodiversity loss is the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Its enormous pool of integrated expertise, technical capacity and policy experience makes the IUCN the global authority on the status of nature and the suite of measures needed to protect it. The largest of the IUCN’s six commissions is the Species Survival Commission, a science-based network of over 160 Specialist Groups, including 17 invertebrate groups; Red List Authorities; and Task Forces. Despite there being an estimated 500,000 – 1,500,000 mite species, and their ubiquity in global ecosystems and fundamental role in many ecological processes, mites have received minimal attention on the global conservation agenda. The role of the newly formed Mite Specialist Group, which gained official status in April 2021, is to redress that situation. The mission of the group, which currently includes 65 mite specialists, ecologists, botanists, environmentalists and conservation practitioners from 36 countries on five continents, is to contribute to a collaborative global effort to conserve mite diversity through research, education, advocacy, community engagement and specific conservation initiatives.

• ÖZ

Exotic snakes may harbour numerous parasites and play an important role in the spreading of parasites. Ophionyssus natricis (Gervais) (Acari: Macronyssidae) has been found in natural conditions on a wide variety of snakes in Africa, but this mite has been distributed by exotic pet trade in various parts of the world. In the present study, O. natricis was reported on the captive corn snake, Pantherophis guttatus (L.) (Squamata: Colubridae), in Turkey, for the first time. Male and protonymph stage of O. natricis were also first time reported in Turkey. In addition, some setal variations in the pygidial shield of protonymphs were documented.

• ÖZ

Ticks (Acari: Ixodida) are hematophagous ectoparasites of a wide variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, and are the vectors of many pathogenic agents, such as bacteria, protozoa, and viruses. The seasonal movement and migration of birds is one of the main causes of the dispersal of ticks and tick-borne pathogens. Therefore, identification of ticks associated with migratory birds is a fundamental step to understand the ecology of ticks infesting birds and evaluate their potential as vectors of zoonotic diseases. In this article, we provided a brief review for capturing migrating birds and examining them for ticks.

• ÖZ

In the present paper, zerconid mites of the genus Prozercon were collected from the Dilek Peninsula-Büyük Menderes Delta National Park, Didim County, Aydın Province (western Turkey). After identification processes, three Prozercon species were found in the research area, among them, P. didimensis sp. nov., was described and illustrated as a new species for the science. Also, altitude and habitat preferences of the species were given and discussed.

• ÖZ

: An isolated population of the Eldari tick Ixodes eldaricus Dzhaparidze was studied in the southernmost partof the tick range (western surroundings of Jerusalem, Israel). Unfed adult and nymphal ticks were active from Novemberthrough April. Ticks could be collected by flagging only from the grass just above the earth. A bimodal activity patternwas observed for adults with a decline in January characterized by the lowest air temperatures. Nymphal ticks had smaller size of their scutum as compared with specimens from the main part of the range. No mating adults were found duringsurvey but when placed in a tube, males and females were immediately observed in the mating position. No tendency toattack humans or attach to them were registered in the field or in laboratory experiments. While having no apparentepidemiological significance, I. eldaricus deserves attention because of its possible role in epizootiology of rickettsialinfections, which are common in the area of the survey.