Stigmaeidae is one of the most studied mite families in Acarology, with the number of described species increasing by 44 percent in the last twenty years. To summarize the taxonomic and biological research in this family we compiled a catalogue with annotated information to nomenclature, synonymies, type localities, type depositories, host/habitat, feeding habits (if applicable) and distribution of 577 species in 34 genera (up to 31 July 2016). We also provide an overview of the main revisions and reviews. To facilitate future taxonomic research we present a pictorial key to genera. The following nomenclature changes are made: Raphignathus siculus var. lapponica Trägårdh, 1910 and Wooderia philippica Rimando & Corpuz-Raros, 1997 transferred to Eustigmaeus Berlese, Mullederia makilingae Rimando & Corpuz-Raros, 1996 transferred to Indostigmaeus Gupta & Ghosh.

An update on “Annotated catalogue of Stigmaeidae (Acari: Prostigmata), with a pictorial key to genera” published in October 2016 is presented. The type species of the genus Ledermuelleriopsis Willmann, 1951 is changed from Ledermuelleriopsis triscutata to Ledermuelleriopsis plumosa Willmann, 1951. Newly published species and new information on old species are provided. Some other informamtion including an erratum is also added.

In New Zealand, the introduced honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a valuable production animal, providing pollination services for horticultural crops and significant export volumes of honey, especially mānuka honey. Honey bees in New Zealand are free from a number of significant diseases and pests such as European foulbrood, acarine disease, small hive beetle, Israeli acute paralysis virus and tropilaelaps mites. We sought to determine the health status of honey bees in New Zealand using a longitudinal study that followed 60 beekeepers over 2.5 years, ascertaining disease and pest status in their elected study apiary and interviewing them every spring and autumn. Participant beekeepers accounted for the management of approximately 12% of the beehives registered in New Zealand. Differences in beekeeping practices were observed between the North Island and the South Island. Nosema ceranae was found almost exclusively on the North Island and did not displace Nosema apis over the course of the study. Lotmaria passim showed a reverse-phase seasonality to nosema, peaking in autumn at near 100% prevalence. The prevalence of Varroa in apiaries varied seasonally between 45.0% and 46.7% in spring and between 65.0% and 69.5% in autumn, with most infestation rates below 3 mites per 100 bees. The detection rate of symptomatic American foulbrood disease during our hive inspections was very low, between 0.00% and 0.85% hive-level prevalence dependent on the season. This study sets a foundation for understanding honey bee health in New Zealand.

This paper provides a comprehensive description of the morphological characteristics of the developmental stages (larva, protonymph, deutonymph, and adult) of Amblyseius herbicolus (Chant, 1959) and Amblyseius lentiginosus Denmark & Schicha, 1974. Both species used were sourced from laboratory-reared colonies fed with the dried fruit mite Carpoglyphus lactis (L.) (Acari: Carpoglyphidae).