Prostigmata
Encyclopedia
The Prostigmata is a suborder of mite
s belonging to the Trombidiformes
, which contain the "sucking" members of the "true mites" (Acariformes
).
Many species
are notorious pests on plant
s. Well-known examples of prostigmatan plant parasites are species
of the gall mites (Eriophyidae, e.g. the redberry mite
Acalitus essigi), Tarsonemidae
(e.g. the cyclamen mite, Steneotarsonemus pallidus), and the spider mite
s of the Tetranychidae (e.g. the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae
).
Other Prostigmata live as parasites on vertebrate
s (e.g. Demodex mites of the Demodicidae) or invertebrate
s (e.g. Polydiscia deuterosminthurus
of the Tanaupodidae or the honeybee tracheal mite, Acarapis woodi
, of the Tarsonemidae). There are also some forms (e.g. Smarididae
) that are predators of small invertebrates – including smaller Prostigmata – yet others have a more varied lifestyle (e.g. Tydeidae
) or switch their food sources as they mature (e.g. Erythraeidae
).
Some of the Prostigmata parasitizing vertebrates are of medical relevance due to causing skin diseases in humans. These include for example harvest mite
s ("chiggers") of the Trombiculidae
.
clade
Trombidiformes
, which also contains the minor and quite ancient lineage Sphaerolichida. The trombidiform mites are possibly the most promoising approach to untangle the systematics
, taxonomy
and phylogeny of the notoriously complex Acariformes. Trombidiformes and the other acariform clade, Sarcoptiformes
, were formerly considered suborders but this does not allow for a sufficiently precise classification of the mites and is adjusted in more modern treatments.
They contain a few of the little-known "Endeostigmata" – apparently an assemblage of several specialized but unrelated lineages – which for the most part appear to be Sarcoptiformes however. In addition, the Trombidiformes include the bulk of the presumed group of mites called "Actinedida". This taxon
is still commonly encountered in systematic treatments. However, modern cladistic studies time and again fail to find any monophyletic group corresponding to the "Actinedida". Thus, they appear to be an evolutionary grade
rather than an evolutionary lineage, united not by their apomorphies but by the lack of such characters that have evolved after the Acariformes separated from the Parasitiformes
. Thus, the "Actinedida" seem to be a massively paraphyletic "wastebin taxon
", uniting all Acariformes that are not "typical" Oribatida
and Astigmata
.
The Prostigmata present their own taxonomic and systematic problems even in the redefined monophyletic delimitation. They are variously subdivided into the Anystina and Eleutherengona, and Eupodina. The delimitation and interrelationships of these groups are entirely unclear; while most analyses find one of the latter two but not the other to be a subgroup of the Anystina, neither of these mutually contradicting hypotheses is very robust; possibly this is a simple error because phylogenetic software usually fails in handling non-dichotomous phylogenies. Consequently it may be best for the time being to consider each of the three main prostigmatan lineages to be equally distinct from the other two, not including either Eleutherengona or Eupodina in the Anystina in accord with the traditional view – the suborder Anystina are here considered the largest possible clade containing the Anystidae but no taxon assigned to the other two suborders.
Section Anystae (possibly paraphyletic)
Paratydeidae
Section Heterostigmata
Section Raphignathae
Mite
Mites, along with ticks, are small arthropods belonging to the subclass Acari and the class Arachnida. The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology.-Diversity and systematics:...
s belonging to the Trombidiformes
Trombidiformes
The Trombidiformes is a large, diverse order of mites, comprising around 125 families and more than 22,000 described species. The group has few synapomorphies by which it can be defined, unlike the other major group of acariform mites, Sarcoptiformes...
, which contain the "sucking" members of the "true mites" (Acariformes
Acariformes
The Acariformes are the more diverse of the two superorders of mites. There are over 32,000 described species in 351 families, and an estimated total of 440,000 to 929,000, including undescribed species.-Systematics and taxonomy:...
).
Many species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
are notorious pests on plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s. Well-known examples of prostigmatan plant parasites are species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of the gall mites (Eriophyidae, e.g. the redberry mite
Redberry mite
The redberry mite , is an eriophyid mite which is a serious pest of commercially-produced blackberries in the United States. The redberry mite is microscopic, requiring at least a 20× hand lens to detect. It has two pairs of legs and a thin, translucent appearance.Overwintering mites colonize tiny...
Acalitus essigi), Tarsonemidae
Tarsonemidae
Tarsonemidae is a family of mites, also called thread-footed mites or white mites.Only a limited number of tarsonemid genera are known to feed on higher plants while most species in this family feed on the thin-walled mycelia of fungi or possibly algal bodies...
(e.g. the cyclamen mite, Steneotarsonemus pallidus), and the spider mite
Spider mite
Spider mites are members of the Acari family Tetranychidae, which includes about 1,200 species. They generally live on the under sides of leaves of plants, where they may spin protective silk webs, and they can cause damage by puncturing the plant cells to feed...
s of the Tetranychidae (e.g. the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae
Tetranychus urticae
Tetranychus urticae is one of many species of plant-feeding mites found in dry environments across the world, and generally considered a pest. It is the most widely known member of the family Tetranychidae or spider mites...
).
Other Prostigmata live as parasites on vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
s (e.g. Demodex mites of the Demodicidae) or invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s (e.g. Polydiscia deuterosminthurus
Polydiscia deuterosminthurus
Polydiscia deuterosminthurus is a species of mite recently discovered in the autonomous community of Navarre in Spain.Only the six-legged larval stage is so far known. This lives as a parasite on the springtail Deuterosminthurus bisetosus, which was discovered at the same time as the parasite...
of the Tanaupodidae or the honeybee tracheal mite, Acarapis woodi
Acarapis woodi
Acarapis woodi is a mite that is an internal parasite of honey bees, originally described from the Isle of Wight. Tracheal mites are related to spiders and have eight legs. Acarapis woodi live and reproduce in the tracheae of the bees...
, of the Tarsonemidae). There are also some forms (e.g. Smarididae
Smarididae
Smaridiidae is a family of mites belonging to the order Trombidiformes. These large predatory mites have long oval bodies, distinctively pointed in front. They are usually red and densely hairy with slender legs, sometimes very long...
) that are predators of small invertebrates – including smaller Prostigmata – yet others have a more varied lifestyle (e.g. Tydeidae
Tydeidae
Tydeidae is a family of acariform mites. These are generally small mites with muted colours. The body is soft, often with complex striated or reticulated patterns...
) or switch their food sources as they mature (e.g. Erythraeidae
Erythraeidae
Erythraeidae is a family of mites belonging to the Trombidiformes. Larval forms of these mites are parasitic on various other arthropods, for example harvestmen, but the adults are free-living predators. These oval mites are rather large, usually reddish coloured and densely hairy. The legs,...
).
Some of the Prostigmata parasitizing vertebrates are of medical relevance due to causing skin diseases in humans. These include for example harvest mite
Harvest mite
Trombicula is a genus of harvest mites in the Trombiculidae family. In their larval stage, they attach to various animals, including humans, and feed on skin, often causing itching...
s ("chiggers") of the Trombiculidae
Trombiculidae
Trombiculidae is a family of mites called trombiculid mites Trombiculidae is a family of mites called trombiculid mites Trombiculidae is a family of mites called trombiculid mites (also called berry bugs; harvest mites; red bugs; scrub-itch mites; and aoutas. In their larval stage, those...
.
Systematics and taxonomy
The Prostigmata make up the bulk of the acariformAcariformes
The Acariformes are the more diverse of the two superorders of mites. There are over 32,000 described species in 351 families, and an estimated total of 440,000 to 929,000, including undescribed species.-Systematics and taxonomy:...
clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
Trombidiformes
Trombidiformes
The Trombidiformes is a large, diverse order of mites, comprising around 125 families and more than 22,000 described species. The group has few synapomorphies by which it can be defined, unlike the other major group of acariform mites, Sarcoptiformes...
, which also contains the minor and quite ancient lineage Sphaerolichida. The trombidiform mites are possibly the most promoising approach to untangle the systematics
Systematics
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of terrestrial life, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees...
, taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
and phylogeny of the notoriously complex Acariformes. Trombidiformes and the other acariform clade, Sarcoptiformes
Sarcoptiformes
Sarcoptiformes is an order of Acari....
, were formerly considered suborders but this does not allow for a sufficiently precise classification of the mites and is adjusted in more modern treatments.
They contain a few of the little-known "Endeostigmata" – apparently an assemblage of several specialized but unrelated lineages – which for the most part appear to be Sarcoptiformes however. In addition, the Trombidiformes include the bulk of the presumed group of mites called "Actinedida". This taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
is still commonly encountered in systematic treatments. However, modern cladistic studies time and again fail to find any monophyletic group corresponding to the "Actinedida". Thus, they appear to be an evolutionary grade
Evolutionary grade
In alpha taxonomy, a grade refers to a taxon united by a level of morphological or physiological complexity. The term was coined by British biologist Julian Huxley, to contrast with clade, a strictly phylogenetic unit.-Definition:...
rather than an evolutionary lineage, united not by their apomorphies but by the lack of such characters that have evolved after the Acariformes separated from the Parasitiformes
Parasitiformes
The Parasitiformes are a superorder of Acari . Many species are parasitic , but not all; for example, about half of the 10,000 known species in the suborder Mesostigmata are predatory and cryptozoan, living in the soil-litter, rotting wood, dung, carrion, nests or house dust...
. Thus, the "Actinedida" seem to be a massively paraphyletic "wastebin taxon
Wastebin taxon
Wastebasket taxon is a term used in some taxonomic circles to refer to a taxon that has the sole purpose of classifying organisms that do not fit anywhere else. They are typically defined by their lack of one or more distinct character states or by their not belonging to one or more other taxa...
", uniting all Acariformes that are not "typical" Oribatida
Oribatida
Oribatida , also known as moss mites or beetle mites, are an order of mites, in the "chewing Acariformes" clade Sarcoptiformes. They range in size from ....
and Astigmata
Astigmata
The Astigmatina are a "cohort" of mites. They belong to the Sarcoptiformes, which contain the "biting" Acariformes. Many species are parasites of vertebrates. Most notorious among these are the Psoroptidia, which contain such notable taxa as feather mites and Sarcoptes scabiei.The Astigmata are of...
.
The Prostigmata present their own taxonomic and systematic problems even in the redefined monophyletic delimitation. They are variously subdivided into the Anystina and Eleutherengona, and Eupodina. The delimitation and interrelationships of these groups are entirely unclear; while most analyses find one of the latter two but not the other to be a subgroup of the Anystina, neither of these mutually contradicting hypotheses is very robust; possibly this is a simple error because phylogenetic software usually fails in handling non-dichotomous phylogenies. Consequently it may be best for the time being to consider each of the three main prostigmatan lineages to be equally distinct from the other two, not including either Eleutherengona or Eupodina in the Anystina in accord with the traditional view – the suborder Anystina are here considered the largest possible clade containing the Anystidae but no taxon assigned to the other two suborders.
Anystides
Section ParasitengonaParasitengona
Parasitengona is an group of mites, ranked as a "cohort", between the taxonomic rank of order and family....
- Superfamily Amphotrombioidea
- Superfamily Arrenuroidea
- Superfamily Calyptostomatoidea
- Superfamily Erythreoidea
- Superfamily Eylaoidea
- Superfamily Hydrachnoidea
- Superfamily Hydrovolzioidea
- Superfamily Hydryphantoidea
- Superfamily Hygrobatoidea
- Superfamily Lebertioidea
- Superfamily Stygothrombioidea
- Superfamily Trombidioidea (possibly paraphyletic)
Section Anystae (possibly paraphyletic)
- Superfamily Anystoidea
- Superfamily Caeculoidea
- Superfamily Paratydeoidea
- Superfamily Pomerantzioidea
- Superfamily Pterygosomatoidea
Eleutherengonides
Family incertae sedisIncertae sedis
, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
Paratydeidae
Section Heterostigmata
- Family incertae sedis Athyreacaridae
- Family incertae sedis Crotalomorphidae
- Family incertae sedis Fembidiacaridae
- Superfamily Heterocheyloidea
- Superfamily Pyemotoidea
- Superfamily Pygmephoroidea
- Superfamily Tarsocheyloidea
- Superfamily Tarsonemoidea
Section Raphignathae
- Superfamily Cheyletoidea
- Superfamily Pomerantzioidea (disputed)
- Superfamily Pterygosomatoidea (disputed)
- Superfamily RaphignathoideaRaphignathoideaThe Raphignathoidea is a superfamily of the Acari Order Trombidiformes. It contains many predators of small invertebrates, while some are herbivores and others parasites....
- Superfamily Tetranychoidea
Eupodides
- Superfamily BdelloideaBdelloidea (mites)Bdelloidea is a superfamily of mites....
- Superfamily Eupodoidea
- Superfamily EriophyoideaEriophyoideaEriophyoidea or is a superfamily of herbivorous mites. All post-embryonic instars lack the third and fourth pairs of legs. The respiratory system is also absent....
- Superfamily Halacaroidea
- Superfamily Labidostommatoidea
- Superfamily Tydeoidea