Mesostigmata

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Taxonomy

updated 2025

Diagnostic characters

• Peritremes short, sinuous
• Sternal shield bearing 4 pairs of setae
• Metapodal shields small, nude
• Opisthogenital shield with 3–4 pairs of setae, abutting large ventrianal shield
• Body longer than broad

More about Euvarroa on Bee Mite ID

Similar taxa

Varroa mites are broader than long and have a separate anal shield and very large metapodal shields. Tropilaelaps are longer than wide and have narrow genital shields. Melittiphis have a well developed sternal keel.

Ecology and distribution

Parasites of honeybees (Apis spp.).

References

• Casanueva 1993Casanueva 1993:
  Casanueva ME. 1993. Phylogenetic studies of the free-living arthropod associated Laelapidae (Acari: Mesostigmata). Gayana Zoologica 57: 21–46.
• Delfinado and Baker 1974Delfinado and Baker 1974:
  Delfinado MD, Baker EW. 1974. Varroidae, a new family of mites on honey bees (Mesostigmata: Acarina). Journal of the Washington Academy of Science 64: 4–10.
• Koeniger et al. 1993Koeniger et al. 1993:
  Koeniger K, Koeniger G, de Guzman LI, Lekprayoon C. 1993. Survival of Euvarroa sinhai Delfinado and Baker (Acari, Varroidae) on workers of Apis cerana Fabr., Apis florea Fabr. and Apis mellifera L. in cages. Apidologie 24 (4): 403–410.
• Lekprayoon and Tangkanasing 1991Lekprayoon and Tangkanasing 1991:
  Lekprayoon C, Tangkanasing P. 1991. Euvarroa wongririi, a new species of bee mite from Thailand. International Journal of Acarology 17 (4): 255–258.
• Lekprayoon and Tangkanasing 1993Lekprayoon and Tangkanasing 1993:
  Lekprayoon C, Tangkanasing P. 1993. Comparative morphology of Euvarroa sinhai and Euvarroa wongsirii: Parasites of Apis florea and Apis andreniformis. p. 427-433. In: Connor LJ, Rinderer T, Sylvester HA, Wongsiri S, eds. Asian Apiculture: Proceedings of the first international conference on the Asian honey bees and bee mites. Wicwas, Cheshire.