Stigmaeidae Temporal range: | |
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Eustigmaeus kermesinus (formerly Stigmaeus kermesinus) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Trombidiformes |
Superfamily: | Raphignathoidea |
Family: | Stigmaeidae Oudemans, 1931 |
Stigmaeidae is a family of prostigmatan mites in the order Trombidiformes. [1] [2] [3] At over 600 species, it is the largest family in superfamily Raphignathoidea. [4] It has a worldwide distribution. [5]
As mites, Stigmaeidae have unsegmented bodies with eight legs (six in larvae). They can be recognised by: prodorsum without transversal groove, sacs or tubes; suranal and aggenital shields separate; cheliceral bases usually separate (rarely fused or conjunct); palps stout with tibial claws at least 1/3 length of tarsus; peritreme absent. Males differ from females in being somewhat tapered posteriorly. [6]
The stigmaeid life cycle has the five stages of egg, larva, protonymph, deutonymph and adult. The larva and two nymph stages are also each followed by a quiescent period. The whole life cycle takes no more than four weeks. Males usually reach adulthood slightly faster than females, allowing them to mate with females as soon as the latter have reached adulthood. Offspring exhibit a female-biased sex ratio (often in the 60-70% range), except for offspring of unmated females which are all male. [5]
Most Stigmaeidae are active year-round, but some species are known to go into diapause for the winter. Overwintering locations include litter at the base of trees and under bark scales on apple. [5]
Over a third of Stigmaeidae species are free-living predators that occur on the leaves and branches of plants (e.g. many Agistemus and Zetzellia). There are also stigmaeids (e.g. many Eustigmaeus, Ledermulleriopsis and Stigmaeus) that live in soil and leaf litter and are believed to feed on moss or lichen. A few species live on the surface of freshwater, in animal nests or attached to sandflies. [5]
Some species can survive, feed and even develop while immersed in water, but cannot reproduce. [7]
Predatory Stigmaeidae have generalist diets, consuming other mites (e.g. spider mites, false spider mites, gall and rust mites and broad mites) as well as small insects (Hemiptera, Lepidoptera) and plant pollen. They usually prefer to feed on immature stages such as eggs. They feed by piercing prey with their chelicerae and sucking out the fluids. [5]
Moss-feeders, such as those in genus Eustigmaeus (formerly Ledermuelleria), feed on moss leaves. They suck out cell contents while leaving the cell walls intact. They can feed and survive on many moss species, though only a few species allow mite reproduction. [7]
Stigmaeidae that attach to sandflies are presumed to be parasitic, leaving behind scars on the abdomens of their hosts. [8] [9]
Due to their predatory activity, some stigmaeids (e.g Agistemus exsertus and Zetzellia mali) have been studied for use as biological control agents of pest mites. [5] Modelling indicates that stigmaeids are more effective control agents than phytoseiids at low prey densities (but less effective at high prey densities), and a combination of stigmaeids and phytoseiids is more effective than either predator alone. [10]
Tetranychus urticae is a species of plant-feeding mite generally considered to be a pest. It is the most widely known member of the family Tetranychidae or spider mites. Its genome was fully sequenced in 2011, and was the first genome sequence from any chelicerate.
Varroa jacobsoni is a species of mite that parasitises Apis cerana. The more damaging Varroa destructor was previously included under the name V. jacobsoni, but the two species can be separated on the basis of the DNA sequence of the cytochrome oxidase I gene in the mitochondrial DNA.
The Acariformes, also known as the Actinotrichida, are the more diverse of the two superorders of mites. Over 32,000 described species are found in 351 families, with an estimated total of 440,000 to 929,000 species, including undescribed species.
The Phytoseiidae are a family of mites which feed on thrips and other mite species. They are often used as a biological control agent for managing mite pests. Because of their usefulness as biological control agents, interest in Phytoseiidae has steadily increased over the past century. Public awareness of the biological control potential of invertebrates has been growing, though mainly in the US and Europe. In 1950, there were 34 known species. Today, there are 2,731 documented species organized in 90 genera and three subfamilies.
Oribatida, also known as oribatid mites, moss mites or beetle mites, are an order of mites, in the "chewing Acariformes" clade Sarcoptiformes. They range in size from 0.2 to 1.4 millimetres. There are currently 12,000 species that have been identified, but researchers estimate that there may be anywhere from 60,000 to 120,000 total species. Oribatid mites are by far the most prevalent of all arthropods in forest soils, and are essential for breaking down organic detritus and distributing fungi.
Tydeidae is a family of acariform mites. As of 2016, it contained over 300 species in three subfamilies, though more species have been discovered since then.
The Prostigmata is a suborder of mites belonging to the order Trombidiformes, which contains the "sucking" members of the "true mites" (Acariformes).
The Raphignathoidea is a superfamily of the Acari (mite) order Trombidiformes, comprising 1087 species in 62 genera and 12 families.
Riccardoella limacum or the white snail mite is a member of the Acari (mite) family which is parasitic primarily on snails. Slug mites are very small, white, and can be seen to move very rapidly over the surface of their host, particularly under the shell rim and near the pulmonary aperture. While once thought to be benign mucophages, more recent studies have shown that they actually subsist on the host's blood, and may bore into the host's body to feed.
Trombidiidae, also known as red velvet mites, true velvet mites, or rain bugs, are small arachnids found in plant litter and are known for their bright red color.
Raoiella indica, commonly known as the red palm mite, is a species of mite belonging to the family Tenuipalpidae. A pest of several species of palm in the Middle East and South East Asia, it is now becoming established throughout the Caribbean. The invasion of this species is the biggest mite explosion ever observed in the Americas.
The Trombidiformes are a large, diverse order of mites.
Hydrachnidia, also known as "water mites", Hydrachnidiae, Hydracarina or Hydrachnellae, are among the most abundant and diverse groups of benthic arthropods, composed of 6,000 described species from 57 families. As water mites of Africa, Asia, and South America have not been well-studied, the numbers are likely to be far greater. Other taxa of parasitengone mites include species with semi-aquatic habits, but only the Hydracarina are properly subaquatic. Water mites follow the general Parasitengona life cycle: active larva, inactive (calyptostasic) protonymph, active deutonymph, inactive tritonymph and active adult. Usually, larvae are parasites, while deutonymphs and adults are predators.
Macrochelidae is a family of mites in the order Mesostigmata.
Bryobia is a genus of mites in the spider mite family, Tetranychidae. The taxonomy of the genus is difficult. The genus has been revised several times. It is difficult to distinguish these tiny species from each other on the basis of morphological characters, and there is little agreement on which characteristics are of importance. Also, species can be variable in morphology. Over 130 species have been described, but many of the names are likely synonyms.
Neophyllobius is a genus of mites.
Cunaxidae is a family of predatory mites in the order Trombidiformes. There are at least 20 genera and 390 described species in Cunaxidae.
Neotrombidiidae is a family of velvet mites and chiggers in the order Trombidiformes. There are at least four genera in Neotrombidiidae.
Tetranychoidea is a superfamily of mites in the order Trombidiformes. There are about 5 families and more than 2,200 described species in Tetranychoidea.
Melicharidae is a family of mites in the order Mesostigmata.