PDF hosted at the Radboud Repository of the Radboud University Nijmegen The following full text is a publisher's version. For additional information about this publication click this link. https://repository.ubn.ru.nl/handle/2066/232150 Please be advised that this information was generated on 2021-09-29 and may be subject to change. checklist of the mesostigmatic mites of the netherlands (acari: mesostigmata) Henk Siepel, Herman Cremers, Wim Dimmers, Antoon Loomans & Bert Vierbergen Most of the predatory mites belong to the order Mesostigmata, although not all mesostigmatic mites are predators. Quite a number of species are parasites and some feed on fungal material. Mesostigmata occur in a wide variety of habitats. Agricultural areas have been sampled extensively in the Netherlands, both on soil dwelling as well as on vegetation dwelling species. A number of more natural habitats are undersampled and more species for the Netherlands may be expected there. The current checklist contains 458 species, which are listed with their synonyms and occurrence records for the country. Some mesostigmatid mites are used in biological control and an additional table with native and non-native species admitted for this use is presented. introduction the condition of chickens and cause a serious pest Mesostigmata are usually called predatory mites. in poultry husbandry. A few species are not pred- They form the most numerous order of mites in atory; some of the Uropodina are specialized in the superorder Parasitiformes. In this superorder feeding on fungi. Species of Trachytes and Uroseius we can also find the ticks (order Ixodida) and have been observed to feed on fungal material two orders that do not occur in the Netherlands (Athias-Binche 977, Hutu 982). Proctolaelaps (Opilioacarida in the tropics and Holothyrida pygmaeus (Mueller, 89) and Androlaelaps casalis on islands in the Pacific). Mesostigmata live in a (Berlese, 887) feed on all kinds of material dur- wide variety of habitats, however, the very vast ing development, including wheat germ, egg yolk, majority of the species is free-living in soil, fresh meat and blood (Hughes 976). However, in among the vegetation or even in houses. Chiropturopoda bakeri Zaher & Afifi, 986 animal diet resulted in a better reproduction than fungal Next to a predatory behaviour, many species live diet (Nawar et al. 993). In the Phytoseiidae and in the nests of mammals or are parasitic on mam- in Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten, 87 fungivory has mals. A more restricted number of species is been observed (Zemek & Prenerova 997). Some specialized on bats (Spinturnicidae and some phytoseiid mite species use plant food sources, Macronyssidae), grey seal, walrus and California possibly pollen (Wari et al. 206). sea lion (Halarachnidae). Among the Mesostig- mata, also parasites can be found on reptiles In table we give an overview of the higher cata- (Entonyssus squamatus Fain, Kutzer & Fordinal, gories in the systematics of Acari, with reference 983, and Ophionyssus species), birds (Rhinonys- to the published checklists for the Netherlands. sidae, Macronyssidae: Ornithonyssus sylviarum Here we present the first checklist of Mesostigmata (Canestrini & Fanzago, 877) and Dermanyssidae: of the Netherlands, containing 48 species. Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer, 778) and D. hirun- Former overviews (e.g. Siepel 200) with estimated dinis (Hermann, 904) and even in the brood of numbers per family added up to 3 mesostigmatid bees (Varroa species). The vertebrate parasites feed species for the country. More species can be on the blood or body fluids of their hosts and for expected as this group, as many other mite groups, instance Dermanyssus gallinae can negatively affect is quite poorly sampled. However, in the national siepel et al. ‒ checklist of the mesostigmatic mites of the netherlands Figure -2. Examples of mesostigmate mites. Photos Henk Siepel (-, 7-9, 2), Herman Cremers (6, 18-2, 23-2) and Bert Vierbergen (0-, 13-7, 22). Figuur -2. Voorbeelden van mesostigmate mijten. Fotos Henk Siepel (-, 7-9, 2), Herman Cremers (6, 18-2, 23-2) en Bert Vierbergen (0-, 13-7, 22). Sejus togatus. 2. Trachytes aegrota. 3. Dinychus perforatus. 4. Epicrius canestrinii. Zercon triangularis. 6. Poecilochirus necrophori, 7. Veigaia planicola. 8. Dendrolaelaps nostricor- deutonymph. nutus., male. Right: hete- romorphic. 9. Scarabaspis inexpec- 0. Macrocheles robustulus. Iphidozercon gibbus. 2. Protogamasellus mica. tatus. 3. Amblyseius herbicolus. 4. Amblyseius obtusus. Euseius gallicus. 6. Kampimodromus hmi- minai. 6 nistische mededelingen ‒ 208 7. Proprioseiopsis okana- 8. Dermanyssus gallinae. 9. Halarachne halichoeri. 20. Pneumonyssus oude- gensis. mansi, larva. 2. Echinonyssus isabellinus. 22. Gaeolaelaps aculeifer. 23. Macronyssus flavus. 24. Spinturnix acuminatus. 2. Varroa destructor. siepel et al. ‒ checklist of the mesostigmatic mites of the netherlands 7 Table . Classification of the higher categories of the subclass Acari (after Krantz & Walter 2009) and the checklists of those groups in the Netherlands. *Superfamily Halacaroidea only, ** cohort Astigmatina. Tabel . Classificatie van de mijten (subklasse Acari) (naar Krantz & Walter 2009), met vermelding van checklists in Nederland. *Alleen superfamilie Halacaroidea, ** cohort Astigmatina. superorder Parasitiformes order Opilioacarida (not indigenous) order Holothyrida (not indigenous) order Ixodida Van Bronswijk et al. (979) order Mesostigmata This checklist superorder Acariformes order Trombidiformes suborder Sphaerolichida suberorder Prostigmata supercohort Labidostomatides supercohort Eupodides Bartsch & Smit (2006)* supercohort Anystides cohort Anystina cohort Parasitengonina subcohort Erythraiae subcohort Trombidiae subcohort Hydrachnidiae Smit & Van der Hammen (2000) subcohort Stygotrombiae supercohort Eleutherengonides cohort Raphignathina cohort Heterostigmatina order Sarcoptiformes suborder Endeostigmata In prep. suborder Oribatida Siepel et al. (2007), Siepel et al. 206 ** life history soil biology monitoring program, soil samples have been extensively taken in grassland, arable From the basic acarine life history, including a land and forests. Phytoseiidae are quite extensively larva, protonymph, deutonymph, tritonymph and sampled by the National Plant Protection Organi- adult, Parasitiformes lack the tritonymph. Other- zation. New species for the country are rather wise, they have an extra stage (called stases in expected in poorly sampled biotopes as peatlands acarology) in the egg: the prelarva, which indeed and mires, or in small biotope elements as com- can be seen in the later egg stage. Such a hidden post heaps, epiphytes, mushrooms and various stase is called a calyptostase. Development of kinds of dung. Mesostigmata can be very rapid: Macrocheles muscaedomesticae (Scopoli, 772) (Macrochelidae) can complete its life cycle in three days (Wade & Rodriguez 96) while most free-living species 8 nistische mededelingen ‒ 208 have about one generation per year. Sometimes Next to normal sexual reproduction some Meso- the way of life urges special adaptations: the para- stigmatids have thelytoky, asexual reproduction sitic mites on bats in the family Spinturnicidae where females lay diploid unfertilized eggs. Exam- have the development of eggs inside the body, ples among the Uropodina are Trachytes aegrota up to ten embryos at a time, which come out as (C.L. Koch, 84) and Uropoda minima Kramer, active immatures (Yastrebtsov 992). 882 (Gulvik et al. 2007). The latter is also phoretic and consequently quite host-specific Species of the genera Spinturnix and Eyndhovenia (Siepel 994). Some Cheiroseius and Lasioseius are active in summer, while Paraperiglischrus species also have a thelytokous reproduction rhinolophinus (C.L. Koch, 844) is active in winter and some populations of Zercoseius spathuliger (Deunff & Beaucournu 98). Phoresy, hitchhik- (Leonardi, 899) (all Blattisociidae) (Walter & ing with other animals, is quite common among Lindquist 989). Some Ascidae and Macrochelidae Mesostigmata. Most of the species of the Uropo- have another form of reproduction with a partial dina have special structures to fasten themselves mixis of genes: arrhenotoky, where females lay to the host. Uropodids attach themselves to the either fertilized diploid eggs, or unfertilized host with a kind of glue stick, which give them haploid eggs which develop to males (as in many their scientific name (oura is tail and pod is foot Hymenoptera). Phytoseiidae have pseudarrheno- in Greek, so tail feet). Uropodids are only phoretic toky, wherein a large part of the male genome is in the deutonymph stage. Many of the phoretic lost after copulation (Hoy 98). During mating, species are carrier specific, which means that Mesostigmatids usually transfer the sperm with attaching themselves to a specific host will result their chelicerae directly to the female genital in transport to the same kind of environment. opening, as spiders do with their pedipalps. Some Many species are for instance phoretic on bark species in the Mesostigmata are introduced into beetles, which transport them to a new tree of the the Netherlands, either by importing their hosts same species. Lindquist (97) described several (parasites) or because of their use in biological forms of synchronization of phoretic and carrier, control, usually in greenhouses, but increasingly of which two forms will be mentioned here: one also in open cultures (Phytoseiidae). with a resting period and one with a race against time.