Prostigmata

Definition

The Prostigmata (also known as sucking mites) is a suborder of the Trombidiformes, found in the class Arachnida. These mites are one of the oldest suborders found on earth, together with the Oribatida, dating back to the Devonian Era. The prostigmatic mites contains a very diversified diet within its organisms, many are predators, but you can also find families of fungal eating, plant eating, microbial eating and parasites. These mites can vary a lot in size, from 0.1 reaching up to 10 millimeters.

Examples of organisms and their diet:

1) Spider mites (Tetrachynus urticae), which eat plants, are known for being a pest.

2) Demodex mites are parasites to vertebrates, while invertebrates include Acarapis woodi that pray on honeybees.

3) Prostigmatic mites from the family Eupodidae are opportunistic organisms to fungi.

4) The families Eupodidae,Tarsonemidae, and Nanorchestidae feed on algae.

Characteristics

According to a study in the University of Michigan [5], these are the morphological features of the Prostigmata body:

1) Absence of the Tritosternum (Biflagellate structure in the ventral side of the body)

2) The leg joint is fused with their body

3) The stigmatic openings (used for feeding), are present but either near the chelicerae or on the dorsal side of the propodosoma

4) The empodial and lateral claws are usually present in some legs

5) The male Aedeagus (reproductive structure) can be both present or absent

6) The dispersal stage is not substantially different from the non-dispersal stage

7) The attachment organ is absent

8) The chelicerae is developed but sometimes indistinct

Detailed descriptions of each term can be found in their glossary page [6]

Prostigmata Life Cycle

Life cycle’s of arthropods are very similar between different organisms of different classes. While they have the same standard stages, the duration differs between species, with a total average of 3 weeks. Mites go through 5 stages before death: egg, larvae, protonymph, deuteronymph, adult.

1) Eggs: The eggs are laid on the host or on the soil by the female, the amount varies between species

2) Larva: The eggs hatch and larva emerge from them, they feed on skin cells. In some species, this is the only parasitic stage, which can last 3 to 4 days

3) Nymph: The larvae goes through dormancy for 24 hours, and develop into a nymph, which has 2 stages. The whole stage has a 3 to 4 day period

4)Adult: After the nymphs develop into an adult, they can live either on the surface or by making burrows

References

[1]Coleman, D. C., M. C. Callaham, and D. A. Crossley. 2018. FUNDAMENTALS OF SOIL ECOLOGY. 3Rd edition. Candice JancoCambridge, MA.

[2]Contributors, W. 2012, July 18. Mite Life Cycle. https://en.wikivet.net/Mite_Life_Cycle.

[3]Contributors, W. 2021, April. Mite. Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mite#Reproduction_and_life_cycle.

[4]Contributors, W. 2021, March 15. Prostigmata. Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostigmata.

[5]Klimov, P., B. OConnor, R. Ochoa, G. Bauchan, A. Redford, and J. Scher. 2016, October. Bee Mite ID. http://idtools.org/id/mites/beemites/bmites_morphology.php.

[6]Klimov, P., B. OConnor, R. Ochoa, G. Bauchan, A. Redford, and J. Scher. 2016, October. Bee Mite ID. http://idtools.org/id/mites/beemites/glossary.php#a.

[7]Murray, A. (n.d.). All about prostigmatid mites. https://www.chaosofdelight.org/all-about-mites-prostigmata.

[8]Proctor, H. 1998, August 12. Page: Tree of Life Trombidiformes. Trombidiform mites. http://tolweb.org/Trombidiformes/2568.