Eleutherengonides: Raphignathina, Tetranychoidea

Superorder Acariformes

  Order Trombidiformes

 Suborder Prostigmata

   Supercohort Eleutherengonides

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

   Superfamily Tetranychoidea

 

Common names: spider mites, peacock mites, false spider mites.

 

Probability of Encounter: Very high

 

Quarantine importance: Very high.  The Tetranychoidea contains most of the important plant-parasitic mites outside of the Eupodoidea, including the spider mites and false spider mites.

 

Diagnosis.  Most species soft-bodied, others with varying degrees of dorsal sclerotization; mostly white, red, yellow, or green  in color.  Cheliceral bases adnate, fused mesally into a stylophore (sometimes withdrawn into the body); chelicerae with fixed digit reduced and movable digit whiplike.  Peritremes, when present, typically chambered structures on the dorso-lateral surface of the prodorsum; naso absent; prodorsal trichobothria absent; eye lenses usually present. Palps 4-5 segmented; with or without one or a claw-like seta on the palp tibia and with a thumb- or button-like subterminal palp tarsus.  Leg tarsi usually with tenent hairs on claws or empodium.  Genital papillae absent; males with an intromittent aedeagus.

 

 

Similar taxa.  The Stigmaeidae are sometimes confused with spider mites, but these predatory mites lack the whip-like movable digits.  Cryptognathidae are capable of retracting their gnathosoma, but their cheliceral bases are free and the movable digit is hook-like.

 

Ecology & Distribution.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.

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

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

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.