Exotic mite families

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Taxonomy

updated 2025

Common names

rust mites, leaf vagrant mites, big-beaked eriophyoids

Probability of encounter

high

Quarantine importance

Medium. The 53 genera and >300 species of diptilomiopids are leaf vagrants that usually cause little damage to their woody hosts other than some browning or rusting of leaves. Catarhinus tricholaenae Keifer may cause leaf rust on corn and other grasses. The Big-beaked Plum Mite Diptacus gigantorhynchus (Napela) damages apple and Prunus species. Members of the genera Rhyncaphytoptus and Diptilomiopus are sometimes damaging, e.g., D. assamica Keifer may cause a russetingrusseting:
a type of damage on the surface of plants, often caused by plant-feeding pests, including mites. Russeting manifests in russet-colored (brownish) patches that are rougher than healthy skin on leaves or fruit.
of citrus leaves. Currently, no diptilomiopids are known to transmit plant viruses or form erineaerineum:
(pl. erinea) the open, fleece-like galls produced by some eriophyoid mites (Prostigmata: Eriophyoidea)
.

Diagnosis

• Prodorsal shieldprodorsal shield:
  a shield on the anterior dorsal surface of acariform mites.
  without setaeseta:
  (pl. setae, from L. = bristle) cuticular process composed of a hollow shaft (sometimes filled with a refractive material) produced from a membranous socket (the alveolus); the hair-like, spine-like, branched or variously expanded structures on the surfaces of the legs and body.  Most setae function as mechanoreceptors, but others (e.g., solenidia) are chemoreceptors or have unknown or ambiguous functions.
  or with 2 sc setaeseta:
  (pl. setae, from L. = bristle) cuticular process composed of a hollow shaft (sometimes filled with a refractive material) produced from a membranous socket (the alveolus); the hair-like, spine-like, branched or variously expanded structures on the surfaces of the legs and body.  Most setae function as mechanoreceptors, but others (e.g., solenidia) are chemoreceptors or have unknown or ambiguous functions.
  
• Gnathosomagnathosoma:
  (= capitulum) the anteriormost part of a mite or ricinuleid, composed of the cheliceral and pedipalpal segments and separated from the body (idiosoma) by a ring of soft cuticle.
  large compared to bodybody:
  the idiosoma of mites.
  and stylets abruptly curving ventrally near their bases
• Subdorsal setasubdorsal seta:
  in the Eriophyoidea, opisthosomal seta c1.
  c1 absent
• Tibiatibia:
  (pl. tibiae) the leg segment between the genu and the tarsus.
  I without solenidionsolenidion:
  (pl. solenidia) a hollow, optically inactive chemosensory seta on the limbs of acariform mites appearing to have transverse rows of minute pores (actually pore canals) under light microscopy, (the transverse pattern is often not apparent in SEM); often bulbous or otherwise modified; sometimes associated with a companion seta.  Solenidia are designated with Greek letters by leg segment: Ω (omega) on the tarsus, Φ (phi) on the tibia, and Σ (sigma) on the genu.
  
• Featherclawfeatherclaw:
  the highly divided bipectinate empodial claw found in the Eriophyoidea.
  deeply divided medially (Diptilomiopidae) or entireentire:
  a shield or sclerite with a continuous margin without incisions.
  (Rhyncaphytopinae)
• Spermathecal tubes short

Similar taxa

Immature Tarsonemidae have 3 pairs of legs and a gnathosomal capsule. Eriophyidae and Phytoptidae have gnathosomas that are smaller compared to their bodies and straight to slightly curved stylets.

References

• Amrine 1996aAmrine 1996a:
  Amrine JW, Jr. 1996a. Keys to the world genera of the Eriophyoidea. Indira Publishing House, West Bloomfield, Michigan.
• Amrine 1996bAmrine 1996b:
  Amrine JW, Jr. 1996b. Phyllocoptes fructiphilus and biological control of multiflora rose. pp. 741–749. In: Lindquist EE, Sabelis MW, and Bruin J, eds. Eriophyid mites: Their biology, natural enemies and control. World Crop Pests, Vol. 6. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
• Amrine and Stasny 1994Amrine and Stasny 1994:
  Amrine JW, Jr., Stasny TA. 1994. Catalog of the Eriophyoidea (Acarina: Prostigmata) of the world. Indira Publishing House, West Boomfield, Michigan.
• Kethley 1982aKethley 1982a:
  Kethley JB. 1982a. Acariformes. pp. 120-123. In: Parker SP, ed. Synopsis and classification of living organisms, Vol. 2. McGraw-Hill, New York.
• Krantz 1978Krantz 1978:
  Krantz GW. 1978. A manual of acarology [2nd ed.]. Oregon State University Book Stores, Corvallis.
• Lindquist et al. 1996Lindquist et al. 1996:
  Lindquist EE, Sabelis MW, and Bruin J, eds. 1996. Eriophyid Mites: Their biology, natural enemies and control. World Crop Pests, Vol. 6. Elsevier, Amsterdam.