Tetranychoidea Temporal range: | |
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Spider mite, Bryobia praetiosa (Tetranychidae) | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Trombidiformes |
Suborder: | Prostigmata |
Infraorder: | Eleutherengona |
Superfamily: | Tetranychoidea Donnadieu, 1876 |
Tetranychoidea is a superfamily of mites in the order Trombidiformes. There are about 5 families and more than 2,200 described species in Tetranychoidea. [1] [2]
Mites of this family have the cheliceral bases fused into a structure called a stylophore, which can be moved independently of the subcapitulum and can be retracted into the prodorsum. The movable digits of the chelicerae resemble stylets, being greatly elongated, and their bases are strongly recurved within the stylophore. There is a pair of well-developed peritremes embedded anteriorly on the prodorsum, ending in protruberant enlargements. The true claws of the legs possess tenent hairs. Males possess aedeagi which are used to directly transfer sperm to females. [3]
The individual families can be recognised as follows:
Tetranychoidea are herbivores. Some species of Tetranychidae, Tenuipalpidae and Tuckerellidae are pests of agricultural and ornamental plants. [3] [10]
These five families belong to the superfamily Tetranychoidea: