| Acaridae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Acarus siro | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Sarcoptiformes |
| (unranked): | Astigmatina |
| Suborder: | Acaridia |
| Superfamily: | Acaroidea |
| Family: | Acaridae Latreille, 1802 |
| Subfamilies | |
| Diversity | |
| > 110 genera, > 400 species | |
The Acaridae are a family of mites in order Sarcoptiformes. [1]
There are several acarid genera with cosmopolitan distributions, such as Acarus [2] , Sancassania [3] and Tyrophagus. [4]
Acaridae live in various habitats and have various diets.
Many are generalists that live in natural (e.g. soil, litter, animal nests, decomposing plant material) and artificial (e.g. human dwellings, granaries, greenhouses, plant nurseries) environments. They feed on decomposing organic material, fungi and nematodes. [2] [3] [4]
There are also more specialised acarids. Some Acarus inhabit nests of warm-blooded animals, mostly rodents and birds. [2] Within Sancassania, there are species associated with certain bees, associated with scarabaeid beetles (riding phoretically on live beetles and feeding on dead beetles) or feeding on mushrooms. [3] A lineage of Tyrophagus, comprising T. formicetorum and related species, only occurs in ant nests. [4] A number of Histiogaster species live beneath bark (subcortical) and feed on fungi. [5]
Various Acaridae have a phoretic deutonymph stage in their life cycle, a non-feeding nymph stage that can disperse to new habitats by riding on larger animals. [2] [3] [4] [5] Hyperphoresy (riding an animal which is itself riding a third animal) has also been reported, with acarid deutonymphs on a larger Uropodidae mite which in turn was on a beetle. [6]
Most Tyrophagus species do not form deutonymphs (except for the T. formicetorum lineage), instead dispersing as feeding life stages. They may disperse phoretically, by active movements or by air currents. [4]
Some Acaridae species are stored product pests, such as Acarus siro, A. farris, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Tyrophagus longior and Tyrolichus casei . These infest stored organic materials such as grains, flour, dried fruit, milk products, hams, cheeses, straw, animal hides, invertebrate culture media, vertebrate bedding materials and animal feed. They thrive in humid conditions and on damp materials. Acaridae can cause dermatitis via piercing human skin (in attempts to feed) or via contact allergens. [7]
There are also Acaridae which are pests of living plants. These include the genus Rhizoglyphus (pests of plants with bulbs) [8] and the species T. longior (pest of some ornamental plants). [9]
Mesostigmata is an order of mites belonging to the Parasitiformes. They are by far the largest group of Parasitiformes, with over 8,000 species in 130 families. Mesostigmata includes parasitic as well as free-living and predatory forms. They can be recognized by the single pair of spiracles positioned laterally on the body.
Astigmatina is a clade of mites in the superorder Acariformes. Astigmata has been ranked as an order or suborder in the past, but was lowered to the unranked clade Astigmatina of the clade Desmonomatides in the order Sarcoptiformes. Astigmatina is now made up of the two groups Acaridia and Psoroptidia, which have been suborders of the order Astigmata in the past. Astigmatina contains about 10 superfamilies and 76 families under Acaridia and Psoroptidia.
Histiostomatidae is a family of mites in the clade Astigmata.
Tyrophagus is a genus of mites in the family Acaridae.
Acotyledon is a genus of mites in the family Acaridae.
Caloglyphus is a genus of mites in the family Acaridae.
Cosmoglyphus is a genus of mites in the family Acaridae.
Rhizoglyphus is a genus of mites in the family Acaridae. It has a worldwide distribution and is often associated with the bulbs, corms or tubers of plants.
Sancassania is a genus of mites in the family Acaridae that contains more than 80 different species.
Schwiebea is a genus of mites in the family Acaridae. It is among the largest in the family with over 60 species.
Thyreophagus is a genus of mites in the family Acaridae.
Viedebanttia is a genus of mites in the family Acaridae.
Macrochelidae is a family of mites in the order Mesostigmata.
Ascidae is a family of mites in the order Mesostigmata.
Phoresis or phoresy is a non-permanent, commensalistic interaction in which one organism attaches itself to another solely for the purpose of travel. Phoresis has been observed directly in ticks and mites since the 18th century, and indirectly in fossils 320 million years old. It is not restricted to arthropods or animals; plants with seeds that disperse by attaching themselves to animals are also considered to be phoretic.
Tyrophagus putrescentiae is a cosmopolitan mite species. Together with the related species T. longior, it is commonly referred to as the mould mite or the cheese mite. The genus name translates from Greek to "cheese eater."
Chaetodactylus is a genus of parasitic mite primarily associated with solitary bees with over 20 species.
Glycyphagidae is a family of mites in the order Astigmata. There are more than 25 genera and 100 described species in Glycyphagidae.
Winterschmidtiidae is a family of mites in the order Astigmata.
Sennertia is a genus of mites in the Chaetodactylidae family. There are more than 70 species. Some of these mites are parasites or commensals of bees, but the presence in some bees of specialized structures for carrying mites (acarinarium) indicates the mutualistic nature of the relationship of some species. Most species of the genus Sennertia settle on adult bees as heteromorphic deutonymphs, but the species Sennertia vaga has no deutonymph and settle on adult bees in the eating adult stages. Reproduction and feeding occurs during resettlement. Most species occur on small carpenter bees (Ceratina) and large carpenter bees (Xylocopa) of the family Apidae. A few species are associated with Centris (Paracentris) in the Neotropics.
Media related to Acaridae at Wikimedia Commons
| Acariformes |
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| Parasitiformes |
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| Authority control databases: National |
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