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Melicharidae

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Family of mites

Melicharidae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Mesostigmata
Superfamily: Ascoidea
Family: Melicharidae

Melicharidae is a family of mites in the order Mesostigmata.

Description

Melicharidae are mites characterized by: podonotal and opisthonotal shields usually fused; the third pair of sternal lyrifissures (iv3) situated off sternal shield (rarely absent) and usually on metasternal plates; peritrematic shield free posteriorly from, or narrowly fused with, exopodal shield beside coxa IV (except Orthadenella); fixed cheliceral digit usually with a hyaline lobe instead of a setiform pilus dentilis, and movable cheliceral digit usually with a pointed process (mucro) on mid-ventral face; genital shield usually gently rounded posteriorly; anal shield usually oval or elliptical, bearing only circumanal setae; and female spermathecal apparatus laelapid-type.

Ecology

Melicharidae are free-living mites found in various habitats including soil, leaf litter, plants (e.g. bromeliads, pineapple flowers and false bird-of-paradise), rotten wood, stored products, seaweeds, animals, and the nests and excrement of animals. A large proportion of the family evolved to live on plants and these feed mostly on nectar and/or pollen. Other reported food items include nematodes, insect eggs and larvae, other mites and fungi.

Melicharids associated with animals may be phoretic on them. For example, species of genera Proctolaelaps, Rhinoseius and Tropicoseius are phoretic on hummingbirds.

Some species of Proctolaelaps are associated with bumblebees, though nothing else about their biology (e.g. how they feed) is known.

Zoogeography

Melicharidae has more species in the Neotropical region (South America) than in anywhere else. This region also harbours the most endemic species of any region.

Genera

As of 2016, 11 genera were recognised in this family.

References

  1. ^ ".:: Melicharidae Database ::". www.lea.esalq.usp.br. Retrieved 2022-10-10.
  2. ^ Bassini-Silva, R.; Takatsu, J. C.; Peinado, L. C.; Faxina, C.; Moreira-Lima, L.; Fischer, E.; Hingst-Zaher, E.; Santos, J. C.; Moraes, G. J.; Dowling, A. P. G.; Barros-Battesti, D. M.; Jacinavicius, F. C. (2021-11-17). "Mites (Mesostigmata: Melicharidae) associated with hummingbirds (Aves: Trochilidae) in Brazil". International Journal of Acarology. 47 (8): 714–718. doi:10.1080/01647954.2021.1980613. ISSN 0164-7954. S2CID 243025767.
  3. Trach, Viacheslav A.; Khaustov, Alexander A. (2017). "MITES OF THE GENUS PROCTOLAELAPS BERLESE, 1923 (ACARI: MESOSTIGMATA: MELICHARIDAE) ASSOCIATED WITH BARK BEETLES IN ASIAN RUSSIA". Acarina. 25 (2): 151–163. doi:10.21684/0132-8077-2017-25-2-151-163.
  4. ^ Moraes, Gilberto J. De; Britto, Erika P.J.; Mineiro, Jefferson L. De C.; Halliday, Bruce (2016-05-19). "Catalogue of the mite families Ascidae Voigts & Oudemans, Blattisociidae Garman and Melicharidae Hirschmann (Acari: Mesostigmata)". Zootaxa. 4112 (1): 1–299. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4112.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 27395107.
  5. ^ de Moraes, Gilberto José; Venancio, Renan; dos Santos, Victor L. V.; Paschoal, Adilson D. (2015), Carrillo, Daniel; de Moraes, Gilberto José; Peña, Jorge E. (eds.), "Potential of Ascidae, Blattisociidae and Melicharidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) as Biological Control Agents of Pest Organisms", Prospects for Biological Control of Plant Feeding Mites and Other Harmful Organisms, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 33–75, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-15042-0_2, ISBN 978-3-319-15041-3, retrieved 2022-10-11
  6. Trach, Viacheslav A.; Marchenko, Irina I.; Joharchi, Omid (2019-12-30). "Redescription of the female of bumblebee-associated gamasid mite Proctolaelaps sibiriensis (Davydova, 1988) (Acari: Mesostigmata: Melicharidae) from North Asia". Acarologia. 59 (4): 531–541. doi:10.24349/acarologia/20194353. S2CID 213726679.
  7. Santos, Jandir C.; Rueda-Ramírez, Diana; Demite, Peterson R.; De Moraes, Gilberto J. (2018-02-05). "Ascidae, Blattisociidae and Melicharidae (Acari: Mesostigmata): zoogeographic analyses based on newly available databases". Zootaxa. 4377 (4): 542–564. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4377.4.4. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 29690039.
Taxon identifiers
Melicharidae
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