Anystina

Belongs within: Prostigmata.Contains: Caeculidae, Paratydeoidea, Anystidae, Teneriffiidae. The Anystina are a diverse group of mostly predatory mites, members of which have the fixed cheliceral digits reduced and the movable digit often blade- or sickle-like. A well-developed palpal thumb-claw process is also often present. Many members of the Anystina are associated with dry soils and litter.… Continue reading Anystina

Caeculidae

Belongs within: Anystina.Contains: Microcaeculus, Allocaeculus. The Caeculidae, rake-legged mites, are a group of large, heavily sclerotised, predatory mites with large spine-like setae on the legs (particularly the first) that are used in the capture of prey. Meet Australia’s newest rake-legged mite Published 20 December 2013 Taylor, C. K., N. R. Gunawardene & A. Kinnear. 2013.… Continue reading Caeculidae

Tenuipalpidae

Belongs within: Tetranychoidea.Contains: Tenuipalpus, Brevipalpus, Aegyptobia. The Tenuipalpidae, false spider mites, are a group of slow-moving phytophagous mites characterised by reduction of the palp and loss of the thumb-claw complex. Some species are economically significant pests. They are most diverse in tropical and subtropical regions though some tropical species have become more widespread in greenhouses… Continue reading Tenuipalpidae

Tarsonemidae

Belongs within: Eleutherengonides.Contains: Tarsoneminae. The Tarsonemidae are a family of mites of diverse habits, many of which are phoretic on insects as adult females. Some species of tarsonemid are economically significant phytophages. Members of the subfamily Acarapinae are parasitic at all stages of the life cycle on adult insects. The Pseudotarsonemoidinae, characterised by the presence… Continue reading Tarsonemidae

Tetranychoidea

Belongs within: Eleutherengonides.Contains: Tetranychinae, Bryobiinae, Tenuipalpidae, Tuckerella. The Tetranychoidea is a group of small plant-feeding mites, including the spider mites (Tetranychidae) and related tax. Members of this group are characterised by the modification of the chelicerae into elongate, retractable stylets that form a single hollow tube when protruded, allowing the mite to penetrate the outer… Continue reading Tetranychoidea

Cheyletiellidae

Belongs within: Cheyletidae.Contains: Ornithocheyletiini. The Cheyletiellidae have been recognised as a family of mites parasitic on birds and mammals. They are currently recognised as a derived and possibly non-monophyletic subgroup of the otherwise predatory Cheyletidae (Bochkov & Fain 2001). Species of Criokeron and Niheliini are parasites on the hair or skin of mammals and bear… Continue reading Cheyletiellidae