Two-New Arthropod Species Discovered and Named by Birjand University Faculty Member

Significant zoological discovery highlights Birjand University’s growing research impact in biodiversity studies.

Dr. Javad Noei, a faculty member of the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Birjand, has discovered and named two new species of arthropods in South Khorasan Province, Iran.

According to the Public Relations and Information Center of Birjand University, Dr. Noei announced that during a doctoral research project conducted at the University of Zabol on arachnid and arthropod fauna of South Khorasan, a new species of mite belonging to the suborder Trombidiformes was identified and described as Nothrotrombidium sadeghii Noei and Kohansal, 2023. The species, an ectoparasite of certain agricultural pests, was collected from several regions including Hotel Kuhestan, Bande-Darreh, Chahardeh, Chahkand, Chahkandan, Esfehroud, Giouk, Noferest, Rach, and Razg villages. The species was named in honor of Professor Hossein Sadeghi Namaghi of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad.

Another newly discovered species, Neosilphitrombium rhipicephalum Noei and Kohansal, 2024, was collected from Doroh village in Sarbisheh County as an ectoparasite on a species of livestock mite. The findings of this research have been published in two peer-reviewed international journals, Systematic and Applied Acarology (Australia) and Zootaxa (New Zealand). Both species are considered natural enemies of agricultural pests and may contribute to sustainable pest management in the region.

Five Scientific Articles Published and Two Conference Papers

The doctoral dissertation was jointly supervised by Dr. Sara Rameroudi (University of Zabol) and Dr. Javad Noei (University of Birjand), with advisory support from Dr. Ehsan Rakhshani (University of Zabol). To date, this research has resulted in the publication of five scientific papers and two conference abstracts.

First Place at the 25th Iranian Plant Protection Congress

This doctoral dissertation received first place at the 25th Iranian Plant Protection Congress, held by the Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST) in Tehran from September 7–10, 2024. Among approximately 900 submitted papers, the dissertation was awarded the Dr. Parvaneh Azmayesh-Fard and the late Dr. Morteza Esmaeili Distinguished Award, recognizing it as the Best Ph.D. Dissertation in Plant Protection nationwide. The honor was bestowed upon Dr. Mahnaz Kohansal, a Ph.D. graduate of the University of Zabol.

The University of Birjand congratulates all researchers and students involved on this outstanding academic achievement, which underscores the university’s growing role in advancing scientific discovery and environmental research at the international level.