326
Burmese amber (Khaustov and Poinar Jr 2010), Acarophenacidae from
Cretaceous (ca. 100 Ma) Taimyr amber (Russia) (Magowski 1994, 1995), and
Pyemotidae is known from Ukrainian Rovno amber (Khaustov and Perkovsky
2010), which is probably about the same age as Baltic amber.
9. The extinct superorder Nasutiacaroidea with a single family Nasutiacaridae
from Cretaceous (ca. 85–97 Ma) Vendean amber (France) is probably a
heterostigmatan and has stylet like mouthparts which could indicate an association with another group of animals, but explicit evidence for a parasitic lifestyle
is lacking (Sidorchuk et al. 2016).
10. Tarsonemoidea, also in Heterostigmata, includes two families. Some members
of the Tarsonemidae are parasites or parasitoids of insects, for example Acarapis
woodi the honeybee tracheal mite (Gary and Page Jr 1989). All members of the
second family, Podapolipidae, are external or internal parasites of arthropods,
again sometimes in the trachea or the air sacs of bees, or in the reproductive
tissues of beetles. Tarsonemidae are known as subfossils (probably less than a
million years old) from Japanese copal (Aoki 1974).
9.4.1.2 Sarcoptiform Mites
Sarcoptiforms are sometimes referred to as ‘chewing mites’, although it would be
more correct to state that they ingest particulate matter with chewing restricted to
the oribatids. They can be divided into two main groups (Fig. 9.3): Endeostigmata
and Oribatida. The endeostigmatids are traditionally a small but ancient lineage,
with putative records going back to the early Devonian (Dunlop and Garwood
2018). Recent work suggested that gall mites may be endeostigmatids too (Bolton
et al. 2017), in which case they would massively increase the number of known species. A subsequent molecular study (Klimov et al. 2018) found support for gall
mites being either endeostigmatid or having the more traditional trombidiform
affinities, depending on the genes used. Living species of endostigmatids (excluding gall mites) have been variously reported feeding on nematodes, other mites,
fungi or algae. Parasitic lifestyles have not been recorded. Oribatid mites are a
highly diverse group of more than 9000 species, with a fairly good fossil record
from the mid-Devonian onwards thanks to their often quite heavily-sclerotised bodies. Most oribatids are saprophages or mycophages with occasional records of predatory behaviour or scavenging on dead arthropods. Again, there are no records of
parasitic oribatids, although a few species are known to act as intermediate hosts for
cestode worms (e.g. Akrami et al. 2007).
The cohort Astigmata is now widely regarded as having evolved from within the
Desmonomata clade of the oribatids (Fig. 9.3). Astigmatans are typically minute,
soft bodied mites which (as the name implies) lack tracheae and simply respire over
the cuticle. The ca. 5000 species of astigmatans are ecologically diverse and it is
difficult to make generalisations about their biology, but in many cases they are
J. A. Dunlop
Burmese amber (Khaustov and Poinar Jr 2010), Acarophenacidae from
Cretaceous (ca. 100 Ma) Taimyr amber (Russia) (Magowski 1994, 1995), and
Pyemotidae is known from Ukrainian Rovno amber (Khaustov and Perkovsky
2010), which is probably about the same age as Baltic amber.
9. The extinct superorder Nasutiacaroidea with a single family Nasutiacaridae
from Cretaceous (ca. 85–97 Ma) Vendean amber (France) is probably a
heterostigmatan and has stylet like mouthparts which could indicate an association with another group of animals, but explicit evidence for a parasitic lifestyle
is lacking (Sidorchuk et al. 2016).
10. Tarsonemoidea, also in Heterostigmata, includes two families. Some members
of the Tarsonemidae are parasites or parasitoids of insects, for example Acarapis
woodi the honeybee tracheal mite (Gary and Page Jr 1989). All members of the
second family, Podapolipidae, are external or internal parasites of arthropods,
again sometimes in the trachea or the air sacs of bees, or in the reproductive
tissues of beetles. Tarsonemidae are known as subfossils (probably less than a
million years old) from Japanese copal (Aoki 1974).
9.4.1.2 Sarcoptiform Mites
Sarcoptiforms are sometimes referred to as ‘chewing mites’, although it would be
more correct to state that they ingest particulate matter with chewing restricted to
the oribatids. They can be divided into two main groups (Fig. 9.3): Endeostigmata
and Oribatida. The endeostigmatids are traditionally a small but ancient lineage,
with putative records going back to the early Devonian (Dunlop and Garwood
2018). Recent work suggested that gall mites may be endeostigmatids too (Bolton
et al. 2017), in which case they would massively increase the number of known species. A subsequent molecular study (Klimov et al. 2018) found support for gall
mites being either endeostigmatid or having the more traditional trombidiform
affinities, depending on the genes used. Living species of endostigmatids (excluding gall mites) have been variously reported feeding on nematodes, other mites,
fungi or algae. Parasitic lifestyles have not been recorded. Oribatid mites are a
highly diverse group of more than 9000 species, with a fairly good fossil record
from the mid-Devonian onwards thanks to their often quite heavily-sclerotised bodies. Most oribatids are saprophages or mycophages with occasional records of predatory behaviour or scavenging on dead arthropods. Again, there are no records of
parasitic oribatids, although a few species are known to act as intermediate hosts for
cestode worms (e.g. Akrami et al. 2007).
The cohort Astigmata is now widely regarded as having evolved from within the
Desmonomata clade of the oribatids (Fig. 9.3). Astigmatans are typically minute,
soft bodied mites which (as the name implies) lack tracheae and simply respire over
the cuticle. The ca. 5000 species of astigmatans are ecologically diverse and it is
difficult to make generalisations about their biology, but in many cases they are
J. A. Dunlop