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A new genus of a cynipid oak gallwasp, Kinseyella (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini) is described from Mexico. Diagnostic characters and generic limits of the new genus are discussed in details. A new species, Kinseyella quercusobtusata is described, which induces galls on leaves of Quercus obtusata, an endemic Mexican oak. One earlier known species from Mexico was transferred to the newly established genus, Kinseyella lapiei (Kieffer), comb. nova. Diagnostic characters for separation of two species are also given.

Two new species of oak gallwasp, Amphibolips zacatecaensis Melika & Pujade-Villar and A. hidalgoensis Pujade-Villar & Melika, are described from Mexico, known to induce galls on Quercus eduardi, Q. crassipes, Q. candicans and Q. crassifolia (section Lobatae, red oaks). Only females are known. Data on the diagnosis, distribution and biology of the new species are given.

Se describe un nuevo género de cinípido agallícola, Kokkocynips Pujade-Villar & Melika n. gen. (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini) de México. Se discuten en detalle los caracteres diagnósticos y los límites genéricos de este nuevo género. Las agallas se encuentran en las ramas de Quercus acutifolia Née. Se describen e ilustran los caracteres diagnósticos, su distribución y la biología de la nueva especie.

Mites and the mammal pathogenic fungusBat guano sustains a diverse microbiota, including insects, mites, bacteria and fungi. Among mites, the cohort Astigmatina (Suborder: Oribatida) includes mites inhabiting various terrestrial and aquatic habitats, often forming remarkable associations with their invertebrate and vertebrate hosts (Palacios-Vargas 2001). Most astigmatid mites from guano are involved in decomposing organic matter, such as the family Acaridae, including pests of stored products, cultivated and wild mushrooms and fungal colonies in laboratory collections (Hoffmann 1998). This family contains the ubiquitous genus Sancassania, which has also been reported as mycophagous and found in guano of different caves from Mexico, mainly located in the states of Morelos and Guerrero (Hoffmann et al. 1986).The mycophagous activity of mites has been associated with contamination of fungal culture collections, as described for various genera of Astigmata (cohort: Astigmatina) and Prostigmata (Smith & Onions 1994); however, Sancassania has never been cited as a pest in micromycete culture collections. Several astigmatid mites show a broad food preference for macromycetes (Okabe & OConnor 2001, Klimov & OConnor 2003, Kheradmand et al. 2007. Acarid mites may also be important vectors of fungal spores in indoor mushroom commercial units (Okabe 1999).The ecological niche of the mammalian pathogenic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum is related to naturally accumulated bird and bat guano. In this environment, the fungus grows as a mycelial-phase producing aerosolised infective forms (mainly microconidia and hyphal fragments) that, once inhaled by susceptible hosts, can produce an infection with a variable clinical course, including the systemic histoplasmosis disease (Tewari et al. 1998, Taylor et al. 2000. In general, the most frequent source of infection is found in bat guano located in enclosed places, such as grottos, caves, mines and abandoned buildings. There is a dynamic and complex food web in this habitat, where the "trophic levels" are occupied by different organisms in a food chain, including arthropods (such as mites) and fungi (such as H. capsulatum). To date, no interactions between mites and H. capsulatum in this unique environment have been recorded.The aim of the present paper is to report the in vitro interactions between mites and the pathogenic fungus H. capsulatum, as both organisms share the same microhabitat (bat guano) of a particular ecological niche in a Mexican cave. MATERIALS AND METHODSGuano -Samples of Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana (Russell et al. 2005) guano were collected in the "La Boca" cave, located in the municipality of Santiago, in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico. This cave is a shelter for a colony of approximately 5 million of these insectivorous bats. Guano samples were collected at 30 m from the cave's entry. The temperature and relative humidity of the cave environment were 37°C and 70-80%, respectively. Guano samples were placed in different 100 mL plastic bottles...