Bee

Mite ID

Phoretic deutonymph: Rostrum enlarged (Fig. 1). Idiosoma transversely striated (Fig. 1).

Adults: No adanal suckers in males. Heteromorphic males unknown.

See Sancassania for other characters.

The three described species can be identified using keys to phoretic deutonymphs in Fain, 1984b and in the bee-associated mites website. Adults are known only from one species, Ctenocolletacarus longirostris, described in Fain and Houston, 1986.

Phoretic deutonymphs of Ctenocolletacarus can be distinguished from those of Sancassania by the enlarged rostrum (not enlarged in Sancassania) and the transversely striated idiosoma (not striated on Sancassania). Males of Ctenocolletacarus lack adanal suckers (present in the majority of Sancassania species).

Australia

ground-nesting bees of the genus Ctenocolletes (Stenotritidae)

permanent

• 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 protonymphs. After developing bee larvae defecate, mite protonymphs feed on their feces. Tritonymphs molting from phoretic deutonymphs are immobile and non-feeding.
• Mite phoretic deutonymphs disperse in the tergal acarinaria 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.

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 acarinaria 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, 1987.

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 deutonymphs leave the cells.

Male bees lack tergal acarinaria, so mite phoretic deutonymphs 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 deutonymphs can be transmitted venereally between adult bees.