This review is a comprehensive study of recent advances related to cytological, biochemical and physiological changes induced in plants in response to eriophyoid mite attack. It has been shown that responses of host plants to eriophyoids are variable. Most of the variability is due to individual eriophyoid mite-plant interactions. Usually, the direction and intensity of changes in eriophyoid-infested plant organs depend on mite genotype, density, or the feeding period, and are strongly differentiated relative to host plant species, cultivar, age and location. Although the mechanisms of changes elicited by eriophyoid mites within plants are not fully understood, in many cases the qualitative and quantitative biochemical status of mite-infested plants are known to affect the performance of consecutive herbivorous arthropods. In future, elucidation of the pathways from eriophyoid mite damage to plant gene activation will be necessary to clarify plant responses and to explain variation in plant tissue damage at the feeding and adjacent sites.

Eriophyoids are an ancient group of highly miniaturized, morphologically simplified and diverse phytoparasitic mites. Their possible numerous host-switch events have been accompanied by considerable homoplastic evolution. Although several morphological cladistic and molecular phylogenetic studies attempted to reconstruct phylogeny of Eriophyoidea, the major lineages of eriophyoids, as well as the evolutionary relationships between them, are still poorly understood. New phylogenetically informative data have been provided by the recent discovery of the early derivative pentasetacine genus Loboquintus, and observations on the eriophyoid reproductive anatomy. Herein, we use COI and D1-2 rRNA data of 73 eriophyoid species (including early derivative pentasetacines) from Europe, the Americas and South Africa to reconstruct part of the phylogeny of the superfamily, and infer on the basal divergence of eriophyoid taxa. In addition, a comparative CLSM study of the female internal genitalia was undertaken in order to find putative apomorphies, which can be used to improve the taxonomy of Eriophyoidea. The following molecular clades, marked by differences in genital anatomy and prodorsal shield setation, were found in our analyses: Loboquintus(Pentasetacus((Eriophyidae + Diptilomiopidae)(Phytoptidae-1, Phytoptidae-2))). The results of this study suggest that the superfamily Eriophyoidea comprises basal paraphyletic pentasetacines (Loboquintus and Pentasetacus), and two large monophyletic groups: Eriophyidae s.l. [containing paraphyletic Eriophyidae sensu Amrine et al. 2003 (=Eriophyidae s.str.) and Diptilomiopidae sensu Amrine et al. 2003] and Phytoptidae s.l. [containing monophyletic Phytoptidae sensu Boczek et al. 1989 (=Phytoptidae s.str.) and Nalepellidae sensu Boczek et al. 1989]. Putative morphological apomorphies (including genital and gnathosomal characters) supporting the clades revealed in molecular analyses are briefly discussed.

Methods for collecting and detecting eriophyoid mites are crucial components in research, taxonomical and biological studies, and control programs for these organisms. Their small size, their specific host-plant interactions and their hidden life-style make them difficult to find in routine inspections. This review examines successful and unsuccessful approaches for collecting eriophyoid mites, and makes recommendations for their detection, supporting studies in taxonomy, ecology, biology, molecular systematics and population genetics.

Th e inventory of the alien Acari of Europe includes 96 species alien to Europe and 5 cryptogenic species. Among the alien species, 87 are mites and 9 tick species. Besides ticks which are obligate ectoparasites, 14 mite species belong to the parasitic/predator regime. Among these species, some invaded Europe with rodents (8 spp.) and others are parasitic to birds (2 spp). Th e remaining 77 mite species are all phytophagous and among these 40% belong to the Eriophyidae (37 spp.) and 29% to the Tetranychidae (27 spp.) families. Th ese two families include the most signifi cant agricultural pest. Th e rate of introductions has exponentially increased within the 20 th century, the amplifi cation of plant trade and agricultural commodities movements being the major invasion pathways. Most of the alien mite species (52%) are from North America, Asia (25%), and Central and South America (10%). Half of the ticks (4 spp.) alien to Europe originated from Africa. Most of the mite species are inconspicuous and data regarding invasive species and distribution range is only partially available. More research is needed for a better understanding of the ecological and economic eff ects of introduced Acari.

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A new pentasetacine mite Loboquintus subsquamatus n. gen. & n. sp. was found living under scale-like leaves of 2-3 years old twigs of Cupressus sempervirens in Montenegro. This mite species possesses a number of morphological features (uncommon teardrop-shaped body, traits of prosoma, atypical primitive anatomy of the genital apparatus and morphological traits of immatures) which clearly distinguish it from all other known eriophyoids. Adults of L. subsquamatus have seta vi situated on the anterior margin of a uniquely elongate lingua-like thin frontal lobe, three pits on the posterior prodorsal shield margin, a remarkable tube-like structure in the basal part of gnathosoma, a complicated three-layered epigynium, spermathecae directed antero-laterad, short spermathecal tubes and setae eu suppressed in males and possibly expressed in females. External genitalia of males and females of L. subsquamatus are fundamentally similar. Hypothesized remnants of coxisterna III or IV (forming a postgenital plate) are remarkably distinct in males. Two new morphometrical variables are proposed to supplement the CLSM protocol for description of internal genitalia of eriophyoids proposed by Chetverikov et al. (Zootaxa 3560:41-60, 2012b): (a) the length of ventral projection of the transvers genital apodeme and (b) the length of the posterior (=postspermathecal) part of the longitudinal bridge which in L. subsquamatus is remarkably long, whereas in many other eriophyoids it is reduced.

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The russet mite, Aceria anthocoptes (Nal.), is the only eriophyid that has been recorded on Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. It has been noted in several European countries and recently in the USA. With its apparent host specificity and because of the damage it causes to its host plant, A. anthocoptes is being studied as a potential candidate for classical biological control. The aim of the present study was to examine quantitative morphological traits in four populations of A. anthocoptes living on two infraspecific host plant taxa (C. arvense var. arvense and C. arvense var. vestitum) in two geographically separate areas of Serbia in order to test the hypothesis of absence of the possible host plant impact on mite morphology. MANOVA analysis revealed significant differences between populations from different localities in Serbia. Populations of A. anthocoptes inhabiting two thistle varieties in the vicinity of Belgrade differed significantly from mites inhabiting the same two host varieties in the vicinity of the town of Ivanjica. Canonical discriminant analysis showed that the trait which best discriminates the populations of A. anthocoptes is the number of dorsal annuli. It was not possible to ascribe morphological differences to the impact of the host plant.