new species of ectoparasite, Erythraeus ankaraicus Saboori, Cobanoglu and Bayram, on Asymmetrasca (=Empoasca) decedens in cotton

The infestation intensity of the ectoparasite Erythraeus ankaraicus Saboori, Cobanoglu and Bayram (Acari: Erythraeidae) on Asymmetrasca (=Empoasca) decedens (Paoli) (Homoptera: Cicadellidae), Aphis gossypii Glov. (Homoptera: Aphididae) and Thrips tabaci Lind. (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in cotton was investigated during the 2004 and 2005 growing seasons in Aydin Province, Turkey. E. ankaraicus was recorded for the first time on A. decedens leafhopper nymphs during the early growth stage of cotton. Parasitism of E. ankaraicus on leafhopper nymphs during the first week of July 2004 was 68.9%, whereas in the middle of July 2005 - when mite populations peaked - it reached only 15.1%. Parasitism of the leafhopper was not observed from the middle of the season onward (August to October).