| Tydeus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Trombidiformes |
| Family: | Tydeidae |
| Genus: | Tydeus Koch, 1836 |
| Species | |
Many, see text | |
Tydeus is a genus of mites belonging to the family Tydeidae. [1] [2] These are small, usually white, mites with soft bodies covered in striations and each leg terminating in two claws.[ citation needed ]
Tydeus, like most mites, have a pair of chelicerae, a pair of palps and four pairs of legs. Each palp has an unmodified palptarsus lacking markedly elongated setae, and a palptibia lacking claw-like setae. The chelicerae are contiguous with each other and have stylet-like movable digits. Bothridial setae are present on the prodorsum of the body. The ovipore is longitudinal. The tarsi of the first leg pair end in claws. [1]
The patterns of setae on the legs help to separate Tydeus from other genera in the family. The genu of the first leg pair has three setae while the genu of the second leg pair has two setae, and those of the third and fourth leg pairs have one seta each. Additionally, the femur of the first leg pair has three setae. [2]
Mites in this genus occur in various habitats including plant leaves, moss, nests of vertebrate animals, barn debris and stored products. They are omnivorous scavengers that also prey on small arthropods and eggs of arthropods. [1] For example, Tydeus caudatus both preys on eriophyid mites and feeds on downy mildew. [3]
Tydeus are themselves preyed on by phytoseiid mites. [3]
Some species occur in nests of bees, which they probably enter by walking. They have been found in nests of Western honey bee (Apis mellifera), bumble bees (Bombus) and carpenter bees (Xylocopa). They are not considered harmful to bees. [1]
Mites are small arachnids. Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as each other's closest relative within Arachnida, rendering the group non-monophyletic. Most mites are tiny, less than 1 mm (0.04 in) in length, and have a simple, unsegmented body plan. The small size of most species makes them easily overlooked; some species live in water, many live in soil as decomposers, others live on plants, sometimes creating galls, while others are predators or parasites. This last type includes the commercially destructive Varroa parasite of honey bees, as well as scabies mites of humans. Most species are harmless to humans, but a few are associated with allergies or may transmit diseases.
Pedipalps are the secondary pair of forward appendages among chelicerates – a group of arthropods including spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. The pedipalps are lateral to the chelicerae ("jaws") and anterior to the first pair of walking legs.
Solifugae is an order of arachnids known variously as solifuges, sun spiders, camel spiders, and wind scorpions. The order includes more than 1,000 described species in about 147 genera. Despite the common names, they are neither true scorpions nor true spiders. Because of this, it's less ambiguous to call them "solifuges". Most species of solifuge live in dry climates and feed opportunistically on ground-dwelling arthropods and other small animals. The largest species grow to a length of 12–15 cm (5–6 in), including legs. A number of urban legends exaggerate the size and speed of solifuges, and their potential danger to humans, which is negligible.
The mouthparts of arthropods have evolved into a number of forms, each adapted to a different style or mode of feeding. Most mouthparts represent modified, paired appendages, which in ancestral forms would have appeared more like legs than mouthparts. In general, arthropods have mouthparts for cutting, chewing, piercing, sucking, shredding, siphoning, and filtering. This article outlines the basic elements of four arthropod groups: insects, myriapods, crustaceans and chelicerates. Insects are used as the model, with the novel mouthparts of the other groups introduced in turn. Insects are not, however, the ancestral form of the other arthropods discussed here.
The anatomy of spiders includes many characteristics shared with other arachnids. These characteristics include bodies divided into two tagmata, eight jointed legs, no wings or antennae, the presence of chelicerae and pedipalps, simple eyes, and an exoskeleton, which is periodically shed.
The mandible of an arthropod is a pair of mouthparts used either for biting or cutting and holding food. Mandibles are often simply called jaws. Mandibles are present in the extant subphyla Myriapoda, Crustacea and Hexapoda. These groups make up the clade Mandibulata, which is currently believed to be the sister group to the rest of arthropods, the clade Arachnomorpha.
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.
Tydeus grabouwi is a species of mite belonging to the family Tydeidae. This oval, eyeless mite is around 400 μm in length with a soft body covered in striations. All the legs are shorter in length than the body. It has been recorded from a wide range of plants in South Africa.
Tydeus munsteri is a species of mite belonging to the family Tydeidae. This very small oval, eyeless mite is around 250 μm in length with a soft body covered in striations. It has been recorded from various plants in the vicinity of Munster in South Africa including Citrus limonia, Erythrina afra and Psidium guajava.
Tydeus eriophyes is a species of mite belonging to the family Tydeidae. This small oval, eyeless mite is around 300 μm in length with a soft body covered in striations. It can be distinguished from similar species by the bluntly pointed, rod-like dorsal setae. This species is associated with the gall mite Eriophyes vitis on grapevines in the vicinity of Grabouw, South Africa.
Pronematus is a genus of mites belonging to the family Tydeidae. These mites are similar to Tydeus spp but can be distinguished by the lack of any claws on the first pair of legs.
Lorryia formosa, commonly known as the yellow mite or the citrus yellow mite, is a species of acariform mite. They are in the subfamily Tydeinae of the family Tydeidae. Commonly found on the foliage of citrus trees around the world, Lorryia formosa also associates with a variety of other plant types. The life cycle includes six discrete stages of development, and the lifespan averages about 37 days. The females of the species use an asexual form of reproduction where the growth and development of embryos occurs without fertilization by a male, a process called thelytoky.
Anystis is a genus of mites. They are predatory on other mites and small insects. Species in this genus are often red, long-legged, and range in size from 500μm – 1500μm. Both the genus and the family Anystidae are referred to as whirligig mites.
Parasitengona is a group of mites, variously ranked as a hyporder or a cohort, between the taxonomic ranks of order and family.
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.
The family Ameroseiidae is one of the three families of mites under the superfamily Ascoidea. There are about 12 genera and more than 130 described species in Ameroseiidae. The family has a worldwide distribution.
Chelifer cancroides, the house pseudoscorpion, is a species of pseudoscorpion. It is the most widely distributed species of pseudoscorpion in the world, it occurs in a range of habitats, but it is mostly synanthropic and harmless to humans.
Zigrasimecia is an extinct genus of ants which existed in the Cretaceous period approximately 98 million years ago. The first specimens were collected from Burmese amber in Kachin State, 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of Myitkyina town in Myanmar. In 2013, palaeoentomologists Phillip Barden and David Grimaldi published a paper describing and naming Zigrasimecia tonsora. They described a dealate female with unusual features, notably the highly specialized mandibles. Other features include large ocelli, short scapes, 12 antennomeres, small eyes, and a clypeal margin that has a row of peg-like denticles. The genus Zigrasimecia was originally incertae sedis within Formicidae until a second species, Zigrasimecia ferox, was described in 2014, leading to its placement in the subfamily Sphecomyrminae. Later, it was considered to belong to the distinct subfamily Zigrasimeciinae.
Stigmaeidae is a family of prostigmatan mites in the order Trombidiformes. At over 600 species, it is the largest family in superfamily Raphignathoidea. It has a worldwide distribution.
Tetranychoidea is a superfamily of mites in the order Trombidiformes. There are about 5 families and more than 2,200 described species in Tetranychoidea.
