First record of pseudoscorpions in the Eastern honey bee colonies in China

Pseudoscorpions, considered to be beneficial to human beings, are a class of tiny predatory arachnids. They have been reported to be associated with honey bees and were regarded as a potential biocontrol agent against <i>Varroa destructor</i> mites, the most severe biotic threat to apiculture. Here, we found three pseudoscorpions in <i>Apis cerana</i> colonies in Southeast China. The appearance and the sizes of each body part of the samples were recorded. After sequencing the <i>cox1</i> gene fragment in the mtDNA, the collected pseudoscorpions were assigned to the genus <i>Ellingsenius</i>. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses indicated that our samples might be a new pseudoscorpion species. To our knowledge, this is the first report of pseudoscorpions in <i>Apis cerana</i> colonies in China, providing new evidence for the symbiosis of native honey bees and their inhabitants.