Major mite taxa

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Taxonomy

updated 2025

Common names

acarids, astigmatids, dust mites, tyroglyphids, cheese mites, grain mites, fur mites, feather mites, mange mites, scab mites, scabies, scaly leg mites, grocer's itch, lemon-scented mites

Probability of encounter

high

Quarantine importance

The Astigmatina contains many species of concern that are pests in homes (house dust, furniture, food) and stored products. These products are directly damaged by mite feeding and indirectly by the dispersal of microbial propagules. Additionally, astigmatans are major sources of allergens and significant contributors to asthma and other allergic reactions. Astigmatans are also significant parasites of vertebrates, including species that cause mange in livestock, pets and wildlife. Scabies is a significant disease in people and sarcoptic mange a major problem with livestock, pets and wildlife. Insects, especially those that build nests or inhabit logs, have a host of astigmatan associates that may be significant if found on insects imported as biocontrol agents, pets, or pollinating agents. A few species of Acaridae are minor pests of seedling crops, and one genus, Heimsarcoptes, contains useful predators of scale insects.

Diagnosis

Very small (0.15 mm long) to large (2 mm) mites without stigmatal openings or peritremes; gnathosoma usually exposed, cheliceral bases not covered by sclerotized ring; palps with 1–2 free segments, without palp apotele; subcapitulum without median groove, rutella (pseudorutella) chisel-like to obscure; tritosternum absent; coxae fused to body and reduced to internal sclerotized elements (apodemes); chelicerae 2-segmented; without prodorsal trichobothria; intercoxal region without sternal and genital shield elements; development: hexapod larva and 2–3 octopod nymphal stages (protonymph, +/- deutonymph, tritonymph); when present, the deutonymph is heteromorphic: usually non-feeding with a reduced gnathosoma and modified for phoresy, typically with a large ventral sucker plate or pair of claspers; genital opening develops gradually with 1 pair of genital papillae added in the protonymph and 2 pairs in the tritonymph and adult; males with a usually postcoxal aedeagus, chelicerae not modified for sperm transfer; female sperm receiving structure secondary, with bursa copulatrix.

Most astigmatans are soft-bodied, white to brownish acariform mites without prodorsal sensilla; sometimes tan and well sclerotized. Opisthosomal glands present, usually well developed; prodorsal trichobothria and pteromorphs absent. Chelicerae usually chelate-dentate, rarely whip-like (Histiostomatidae). Rutellum present and chisel-like, or absent. Genital papillae present (2 pairs) or transformed into ring-like organs (Histiostomatidae). Ovipore of female usually with inverted-V arrangement of sclerites, rarely with parasitoid arrangement (Fusacarus); insemination through a terminal pore. Males with a sclerotized aedeagus (penis).

Similar taxa

Similar soft-bodied acariform mites in the Supercohorts Palaeosomatides and Parhyposomatides have prodorsal trichobothria.

Ecology and distribution

Astigmatina are primarily associated with nests, stored products, fungal sporocarps, and animals, but some families are free-living. Those associated with animals range from commensals (e.g., many feather mites) to severe parasites (e.g., mange mites), with at least a few taxa appearing to have mutualistic relationships to their hosts. Several families have representatives in wet, rotting vegetation, sap fluxes, and other aquatic habitats including treeholes, other phytoteles, and algal mats in freshwater and intertidal systems.

References

• Hughes 1976Hughes 1976:
  Hughes AM. 1976. The Mites of Stored Food and Houses (2nd ed.). Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Technical Bulletin 9. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London.
• Iverson et al. 1996Iverson et al. 1996:
  Iverson K, OConnor BM, Ochoa R, Heckmann R. 1996. Lardoglyphus zacheri (Acari: Lardoglyphidae), a pest of museum dermestid colonies, with observations on its natural ecology and distribution. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 89: 544–549.
• Krantz 1978Krantz 1978:
  Krantz GW. 1978. A manual of acarology [2nd ed.]. Oregon State University Book Stores, Corvallis.
• Norton 1998Norton 1998:
  Norton RA. 1998. Morphological evidence for the evolutionary origin of Astigmata (Acari: Acariformes). Experimental and Applied Acarology 22: 559–594.
• OConnor 1979OConnor 1979:
  OConnor BM. 1979. Evolutionary origins of astigmatid mites inhabiting stored products. pp. 273–278. In: Rodriguez JG, ed. Recent advances in acarology, Vol. I. Academic Press, New York.
• OConnor 1982OConnor 1982:
  OConnor BM. 1982. Evolutionary ecology of astigmatid mites. Annual Review of Entomology 27: 385–409.
• OConnor 1984aOConnor 1984a:
  OConnor BM. 1984a. Acarine-fungal relationships: The evolution of symbiotic associations. pp. 354–381. In: Wheeler Q and Blackwell M, eds. Fungus–insect relationships: Perspectives in ecology and evolution. Columbia University Press, New York.
• OConnor 1984bOConnor 1984b:
  OConnor BM. 1984b. Co-evolutionary patterns between astigmatid mites and primates. pp. 186–195. In: Griffiths DA and Bowman CE, eds. Acarology VI, Vol. I. Ellis Horwood Ltd, Chichester.
• OConnor 1984cOConnor 1984c:
  OConnor BM. 1984c. 1. Speciation and evolution in Acari 1.2 Phylogenetic relationships among higher taxa in the Acariformes, with particular reference to the Astigmata. pp. 19–27. In: Griffiths DA and Bowman CE, eds. Acarology VI, Vol. I. Ellis Horwood Ltd, Chichester.
• OConnor 1990OConnor 1990:
  OConnor BM. 1990. The North American Acari: Current status and future projections. pp. 21–29. In: Kosztarab M and Schaefer CW, eds. Systematics of the North American insects and arachnids: Status and needs. Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station Information Series 90-1, Blacksburg.
• OConnor 1993OConnor 1993:
  OConnor BM. 1993. The mite community associated with Xylocopa latipes (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae: Xylocopinae) with descriptions of a new type of acarinarium. International Journal of Acarology 19: 159–166.

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