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Ctenocolletacarus

Harmfulness rating

HARMFUL | NOT HARMFUL | UNCERTAIN

predominantly mutualistic; feed on waste of bee larvae, probably outweighing small harmful effect of feeding on pollen; bee hosts have acarinariaacarinarium:
A specialized morphological structure that facilitates retention of mites on the body of an organism, typically a bee or wasp.
to transfer mites

Name

Ctenocolletacarus Fain, 1984Fain, 1984:
Fain, A. 1984. Notes sur les hypopes du genre Horstia Oudemans, 1905 (Acari, Acaridae), phoretiques sur les hymenopteres. Acarologia . 25 : 259-270.

Taxonomy

Superorder Acariformes » Order Sarcoptiformes » Suborder Oribatida » Infraorder Desmonomata » Hyporder Astigmata » Family Acaridae » Genus Ctenocolletacarus

Type species

Ctenocolletacarus longirostris Fain, 1984Fain, 1984:
Fain, A. 1984. Notes sur les hypopes du genre Horstia Oudemans, 1905 (Acari, Acaridae), phoretiques sur les hymenopteres. Acarologia . 25 : 259-270.

Common synonyms

In the literature Ctenocolletacarus is treated as a valid genus. However, its adults are indistinguishable from Sancassania and its phoretic deutonymphsphoretic deutonymph:
An active nymphal stage in Astigmata that serves for dispersal on arthropod or vertebrate hosts. A subtype of heteromorphic deutonymph. See Life stages page for more details.
 have only autapomorphic (unique) diagnostic character states, suggesting that Ctenocolletacarus is part of Sancassania rather than an independent, genus-level lineage.

Diagnosis

Phoretic deutonymphphoretic deutonymph:
An active nymphal stage in Astigmata that serves for dispersal on arthropod or vertebrate hosts. A subtype of heteromorphic deutonymph. See Life stages page for more details.
: Rostrumrostrum:
In the Oribatida, the anteriormost dorsal portion of the idiosoma; in the Prostigmata (Cheyletoidea), the subcapitulum or the gnathosomal capsule.
 enlarged (Fig. 1). Idiosomaidiosoma:
Body not including the gnathosoma.
transversely striated (Fig. 1).

Adults: No adanal suckersadanal sucker:
Paired pad-like structures situated near the anal opening in males of Astigmata. Originate from adanal setae. Serve for holding female during copulation. Also known as anal suckers and paranal suckers.
in males. Heteromorphic males unknown.

See Sancassania for other characters.

Species identification

The three described species can be identified using keys to phoretic deutonymphsphoretic deutonymph:
An active nymphal stage in Astigmata that serves for dispersal on arthropod or vertebrate hosts. A subtype of heteromorphic deutonymph. See Life stages page for more details.
 in Fain, 1984bFain, 1984b:
Fain, A. 1984b. A new genus of mite (Acari: Acaridae) phoretic on bees ( Ctenocolletes ) in Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum . 11 : 77-86. and in the bee-associated mites website. Adults are known only from one species, Ctenocolletacarus longirostris, described in Fain and Houston, 1986Fain and Houston, 1986:
Fain, A. amp; T. F. Houston. 1986. Life cycle stages of mites of the genus Ctenocolletacarus Fain (Acari: Acaridae) associated with Ctenocolletes bees in Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum . 13 : 67-77..

Similar genera

Phoretic deutonymphsphoretic deutonymph:
An active nymphal stage in Astigmata that serves for dispersal on arthropod or vertebrate hosts. A subtype of heteromorphic deutonymph. See Life stages page for more details.
 of Ctenocolletacarus can be distinguished from those of Sancassania by the enlarged rostrumrostrum:
In the Oribatida, the anteriormost dorsal portion of the idiosoma; in the Prostigmata (Cheyletoidea), the subcapitulum or the gnathosomal capsule.
 (not enlarged in Sancassania) and the transversely striated idiosomaidiosoma:
Body not including the gnathosoma.
(not striated on Sancassania). Males of Ctenocolletacarus lack adanal suckersadanal sucker:
Paired pad-like structures situated near the anal opening in males of Astigmata. Originate from adanal setae. Serve for holding female during copulation. Also known as anal suckers and paranal suckers.
(present in the majority of Sancassania species).

Distribution

Australia

Bee hosts

ground-nesting bees of the genus Ctenocolletes (Stenotritidae)

Host association level

permanentpermanent:
associated exclusively with bees or their close relative, wasps; cannot live without these hosts

Host associations, feeding, and dispersal

  • All stages live in sealed brood cells of ground-nesting stenotritid bees of the genus Ctenocolletes endemic to Australia. Mites are univoltine (one generation of mites per one generation of bees or nesting cycle). Mites feed on provisioned pollen as adults, larvae, and early protonymphsprotonymph:
    Ontogenetic stage between larva and deutonymph. See Life stages page for more details.
    . After developing bee larvae defecate, mite protonymphsprotonymph:
    Ontogenetic stage between larva and deutonymph. See Life stages page for more details.
     feed on their feces. Tritonymphstritonymph:
    Ontogenetic stage between the deutonymph and adult. Sometimes this stage is absent and deutonymph transforms directly to the adult stage. See Life stages page for more details.
     molting from phoretic deutonymphsphoretic deutonymph:
    An active nymphal stage in Astigmata that serves for dispersal on arthropod or vertebrate hosts. A subtype of heteromorphic deutonymph. See Life stages page for more details.
     are immobile and non-feeding.
  • Mite phoretic deutonymphsphoretic deutonymph:
    An active nymphal stage in Astigmata that serves for dispersal on arthropod or vertebrate hosts. A subtype of heteromorphic deutonymph. See Life stages page for more details.
     disperse in the tergal acarinariaacarinarium:
    A specialized morphological structure that facilitates retention of mites on the body of an organism, typically a bee or wasp.
    of female bees (Figs. 3-5) and on the posteroventral mesosoma of male bees. Venereal transmission of mites from male to female bees is possible during copulation.

Biology

Observational data indicate that this bee-mite system is a tradeoff between mites being harmful to the bee when they feed on provisioned pollen and beneficial when they consume waste of developing bee larvae in the nest. The presence of acarinariaacarinarium:
A specialized morphological structure that facilitates retention of mites on the body of an organism, typically a bee or wasp.
on bees suggests predominantly beneficial (mutualistic) bee-mite relationships in this system. Most likely, consuming a small portion of pollen in the brood cell and competing with bee larvae for food have a lesser deleterious effect, as compared to the benefits of the mite's sanitary function.

Detailed biological observations of Ctenocolletacarus mites in bee nests of Ctenocolletes albomarginatus and Ctenocolletes nicholsoni and in the laboratory are available in Houston, 1987Houston, 1987:
Houston, T. F. 1987. The symbiosis of acarid mites, genus Ctenocolletacarus (Acarina: Acariformes), and stenotritid bees, genus Ctenocolletes (Insecta: Hymenoptera). Australian Journal of Zoology . 35 : 459-468..

These mites are closely associated with their hosts at all stages and their complete life cycle occurs in the hosts' sealed brood cells. Only phoretic deutonymphsphoretic deutonymph:
An active nymphal stage in Astigmata that serves for dispersal on arthropod or vertebrate hosts. A subtype of heteromorphic deutonymph. See Life stages page for more details.
 leave the cells.

Male bees lack tergal acarinariaacarinarium:
A specialized morphological structure that facilitates retention of mites on the body of an organism, typically a bee or wasp.
, so mite phoretic deutonymphsphoretic deutonymph:
An active nymphal stage in Astigmata that serves for dispersal on arthropod or vertebrate hosts. A subtype of heteromorphic deutonymph. See Life stages page for more details.
 on male bees are usually concealed beneath the transparent posterolateral margins of the more posterior metasomal terga and in the genitalia. Circumstantial evidence suggestis that mite phoretic deutonymphsphoretic deutonymph:
An active nymphal stage in Astigmata that serves for dispersal on arthropod or vertebrate hosts. A subtype of heteromorphic deutonymph. See Life stages page for more details.
 can be transmitted venereally between adult bees.

Fig. 1. Ctenocolletacarus brevirostris phoretic deutonymph, dorsal view.

Fig. 1. Ctenocolletacarus brevirostris phoretic deutonymph, dorsal view.
Fig. 2. Ctenocolletacarus brevirostris phoretic deutonymph, ventral view.

Fig. 2. Ctenocolletacarus brevirostris phoretic deutonymph, ventral view.
Fig. 3. Tergal acarinaria under metasomal tergites T3 and T4 of bee Ctenocolletes albomarginatus. Ctenocolletacarus brevirostris mites are hidden inside the acarinaria; photo by Barry OConnor, University of Michigan.

Fig. 3. Tergal acarinaria under metasomal tergites T3 and T4 of bee Ctenocolletes albomarginatus. Ctenocolletacarus brevirostris mites are hidden inside the acarinaria; photo by Barry OConnor, University of Michigan.
Fig. 4. Tergal acarinaria under metasomal tergites (T3 and T4) of bee Ctenocolletes albomarginatus. Ctenocolletacarus brevirostris mites are hidden inside the acarinaria; photo by Barry OConnor, University of Michigan.

Fig. 4. Tergal acarinaria under metasomal tergites (T3 and T4) of bee Ctenocolletes albomarginatus. Ctenocolletacarus brevirostris mites are hidden inside the acarinaria; photo by Barry OConnor, University of Michigan.
Fig. 5. Tergal acarinaria under metasomal tergites T3 and T4 of bee Ctenocolletes albomarginatus with Ctenocolletacarus brevirostris mites; photo by Barry OConnor, University of Michigan.

Fig. 5. Tergal acarinaria under metasomal tergites T3 and T4 of bee Ctenocolletes albomarginatus with Ctenocolletacarus brevirostris mites; photo by Barry OConnor, University of Michigan.
Fig. 6. Bee Ctenocolletes albomarginatus showing tergal acarinaria under metasomal tergites T3 and T4 (outlined).

Fig. 6. Bee Ctenocolletes albomarginatus showing tergal acarinaria under metasomal tergites T3 and T4 (outlined).