Prostigmata

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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.

Characteristics

According to a study in the University of Michigan, 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

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 layed on the host or on the soil by the female, the amount varies between species

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