Major mite taxa

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Taxonomy

updated 2025

Common names

mesostigmatans, mesostigmatid mites, mesostigmatic mites

Probability of encounter

very high

Quarantine importance

High. Including many species parasitic on mammals, birds, reptiles and social insects such as bees (eg., Varroa, Tropilaelaps), predatory mites used in biocontrol, flower mites, stored product predators, and predatory soil mites.

Diagnosis

Very small (0.12 mm long) to large (4 mm) mites with a pair of stigmatal openings above legs III–IV usually associated with a peritrematal groove; gnathosoma with a sclerotized ring, the basis capitulum, that encompasses the bases of the chelicerae; palps with 5 (rarely 4) free segments and usually with a subdistal palp apotele; a median groove with transverse rows of 1-many denticles; horn-like, bifurcate to membranous corniculi typically present; flagellate tritosternum present except in a few parasites; coxae freely articulating with body; chelicerae 3-segmented; without prodorsal trichobothria; intercoxal region with sternal and genital shield elements; development: hexapod larva (feeding or non-feeding) and two octopod nymphal stages (protonymph, deutonymph) bearing usually lightly sclerotized dorsal, intercoxal and ventral plates; genital opening not expressed until adult stage; males never with a aedeagus, but often with chelicerae modified for sperm transfer (spermatodactyl, spermatotreme); female sperm receiving structure primary or secondary.

Key to Mesostigmata, (Monogynaspida)

Mesostigmata, (Monogynaspida) fact sheet index

Similar taxa

Holothyrans and soft ticks have lateral stigmatal openings, but holothyrans lack the basis capitulum and ticks have a denticulate hypostome. Some Heterostigmatina are similar in shape and coloring to small mesostigmatans, but will have capitate trichobothria and a gnathosomal capsule.

Ecology and distribution

Cosmopolitan. Although most species are free-living predators (including the members of the Phytoseiidae and Laelapidae used in biological control), the Dermanyssoidea contains numerous lineages parasitic on vertebrates and large or social arthropods. Many are phoretic on insects as deutonymphs or inseminated adult females. A few lineages have colonized flowers where they feed on pollen and nectar, and some species feed on fungi. With rare exceptions, most mesostigmatans are fluid-feeders.

References

• Evans and Till 1979Evans and Till 1979:
  Evans EO, Till WM. 1979. Mesostigmatic mites of Britain and Ireland (Chelicerata: Acari-Parasitiformes): An introduction to their external morphology and classification. Transactions of the Zoological Society of London 35 (2): 145–270.
• Gilyarov and Bregatova 1977Gilyarov and Bregatova 1977:
  Gilyarov MS, Bregatova NG, eds. 1977. Handbook for the identification of soil-inhabiting mites, Mesostigmata. Zoological Institute of the Academy of Sciences, Petrograd.
• Johnston 1982bJohnston 1982b:
  Johnston DE. 1982b. Mesostigmata. pp. 112–116. In: Parker SP, ed. Synopsis and classification of living organisms, Vol. 2. McGraw-Hill, New York.
• Karg 1993Karg 1993:
  Karg W. 1993. Acari (Acarina), Milben Parasitiformes (Anactinochaeta) Cohors Gamasina Leach, Raubmilben. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands 59: 1–523.
• Krantz 1978Krantz 1978:
  Krantz GW. 1978. A manual of acarology [2nd ed.]. Oregon State University Book Stores, Corvallis.
• Krantz and Ainscough 1990Krantz and Ainscough 1990:
  Krantz GW, Ainscough B. 1990. Mesostigmata. pp. 583–665. In: Dindal DL, ed. Soil biology guide. John Wiley & Sons, Brisbane.
• Walter and Proctor 1999Walter and Proctor 1999:
  Walter DE, Proctor HC. 1999. Mites: Ecology, evolution and behaviour. University of NSW Press, Sydney and CABI, Wallingford. 494 pp.

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