Eleutherengonides, Raphignathina

Superorder Acariformes

  Order Trombidiformes

 Suborder Prostigmata

   Supercohort Eleutherengonides

 Cohort (Superfamily): Raphignathina (Raphignathoidea, Cheyletoidea, Tetranychoidea, Pterygosomatoidea, Myobioidea)

 

Common names: spider mites, peacock mites, false spider mites, raphignathoids, cheyletoids, myobiids, cheyletiella, follicle mites, quill mites, skin mites, walking dandruff

 

Probability of Encounter: Very high

 

Quarantine importance: Very high.  The Tetranychoidea contains most of the important plant-parasitic mites outside of the Eupodides, including the spider mites and false spider mites.  The Cheyletoidea contains many important parasites of wildlife and some important pests of pets, laboratory animals, livestock, and people.

 

Diagnosis.  Raphignathina are small to medium in size; most species soft-bodied, others with varying degrees of dorsal sclerotization; mostly white, red, yellow, or green  in color.  Cheliceral bases free, adnate, fused mesally into a stylophore (sometimes withdrawn into the body), or forming a gnathosomal capsule; chelicerae with fixed digit reduced and movable digit bladelike, needle-like, or whiplike.  Peritremes, when present, often elaborate chambered structures on the dorsal surface of the prodorsum or chelicerae; naso absent; prodorsal trichobothria absent; eye lenses usually present. Palps 4-5 segmented; usually with one or more claw-like setae on the palp tibia and with a thumb- or button-like subterminal palp tarsus.  Body setae range from short and sparse, to long and barbed, to dentritic, to plate-like.  Leg tarsi usually with tenent hairs on claws or empodium.  Genital papillae absent; males with an intromittent aedeagus.

 

 

Similar taxa.  Anystides and Eupodides usually have genital papillae and prodorsal trichobothria, both of which are lacking in the Raphignathina.

 

Ecology & Distribution.  The Raphignathoidea is composed of several families of predatory and herbivorous mites, and are very common in soil, moss and on foliage.  The Stigmaeidae are the most ecologically diverse, acting as predators in leaf litter and in trees, and herbivores in moss.  Barbutiidae, Caligonellidae, Camerobiidae, Cryptognathidae, Dasythyreidae, Eupalopsellidae and Raphignathidae are frequently encountered in the drier soil microhabitats (e.g. dry soil, bark, moss).  Homocaligidae, on the other hand, appear restricted to semi-aquatic habitats.  Most families of Cheyletoidea are parasites that are unlikely to turn up in soil samples.  The exception is Cheyletidae, which includes many free-living predators inhabiting litter, soil, tree bark, foliage, as well as stored products and vertebrate nests.  Myobiidae are fur parasites of rodents, insectivores and bats.  The Tetranychoidea are plant-associated mites, and includes the infamous spider mites (Tetranychidae).  Tetranychoid species that feed on grasses or pasture legumes may occasionally appear in soil samples.

 

References

Beard JJ, Walter DE, Allsopp P.  2003.  Spider Mites of Sugarcane in Australia: A Review of Grass-feeding Oligonychus Berlese (Acari: Prostigmata: Tetranychidae) with the description of four new species.  Australian Journal of Entomology 42: 51-78

Bolland, H.R., J. Gutierrez & C.H.W. Flechtmann. 1998. World Catalogue of the Spider Mite Family (Acari: Tetranychidae). Brill: Leiden.

Evans, G.A., H.L. Cromroy & R. Ochoa. 1993. The Tenuipalpidae of Honduras (Tenuipalpidae: Acari). Florida Entomologist 76: 126–155.

Fan Q-H, Walter DE, Proctor HC.  2003.  A Review of the Genus Ledermuelleriopsis Willmann (Acari: Prostigmata: Stigmaeidae).  Invertebrate Systematics 17: 1-24.

Fan Q-H, Walter DE, Proctor HC.  2003.  A Review of the Family Barbutiidae (Acari: Raphignathoidea) with the description of two new species from Australia.  Systematic & Applied Acarology 8: 107-130.

Gerson, U. and Walter, D.E.  1998. The transfer of Mecognatha wood from the Stigmaeidae to Mecognathidae, n. fam., a new synonymy, and a key to the families of the Raphignathoidea (Acari: Prostigmata).  Systematic & Applied Acarology 3: 145-147.

Helle W. & M.W. Sabelis (eds.) 1985. Spider Mites, Their Biology, Natural Enemies, and Control, vol. 1A. Elsevier: New York.

Hislop, R.G. & L.R. Jeppson. 1976. Morphology of the mouthparts of several species of phytophagous mites. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 69: 1125–1135

Jeppson L.R., H.H. Keifer & E.W.Baker 1975. Mites Injurious to Economic Plants, University of California Press: Berkeley

Kethley JB.  1982.  Acariformes.  In: Parker, S.P. (ed.)  Synopsis and Classification of Living Organisms.  McGraw-Hill, New York, pp. 142-145.

Kethley JB.  1990.  Acarina: Prostigmata (Actinedida).  In DL Dindal (ed.)  Soil Biology Guide.  John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp. 667-756.

Krantz GW.  1978.  A Manual of Acarology.  OSU Bookstores: Corvallis.

Luxton M.  1973.  Mites of the genus Cryptognathus from Australia, New Zealand, and Niue Island. Acarologia 15: 53-75.

Meyer, M.K.P.S. 1979. The Tenuipalpidae (Acari) of Africa with keys to the world fauna. Entomology Memoir Department of Agriculture Technical Services Republic of South Africa 50: 1–135.

Meyer, M.K.P.S. & E.A. Ueckermann 1997. A review of some species of the families Allochaetophoridae, Linotetranidae and Tuckerellidae (Acari: Tetranychoidea). International Journal of Acarology 23: 67–92.

Ochoa, R., H. Aguilar & C. Vargas 1994. Phytophagous Mites of Central America: An Illustrated Guide  CATIE, Turrialba, Costa Rica.

Walter, D.E. and Gerson, U.  1998.  Dasythyreidae, new family, and Xanthodasythyreus n. g. (Acari: Prostigmata: Raphignathoidea) from Australia.  International Journal of Acarology 24: 189-197.

Wood TG. 1967. New Zealand mites of the family Stigmaeidae (Acari, Prostigmata). Trans. Roy. Soc. NZ 9: 93-139.

Wood TG. 1969. The Homocaligidae, a new family of mites (Acari: Raphignathoidea), including a description of a new species from Malaya and the British Solomon Islands. Acarologia 11: 711-729.