Trombellidae

Trombella lusitanica, from Walter et al. (2009).

Belongs within: Parasitengonina.

The Trombellidae are a group of large, often colourful mites found in forest litter whose larvae are parasitic on insects. Members of the subfamilies Spelaeothrombiinae and Moyanella gigax are known from South America; the subfamily Trombellinae is more widespread (Walter et al. 2009).

Characters (from Walter et al. 2009): Adults with idionotum entirely surrounded by peripheral sclerotised band, or bearing 2-16 circular depressions with peripheral sclerotised bands, or with idionotal borne on raised papillae but lacking basal sclerites. Larvae with idionotum bearing unpaired prodorsal sclerite but lacking scutellum, setae c1 located on paired platelets; coxal plates smooth; urstigmata present between coxal plates I-II; femur I bearing 5-6 branched setae; femora II-III bearing multiple solenidia θ; pretarsus with empodium.

<==Trombellidae WL09
    |  i. s.: Taraxithrombium gordoni WL09
    |--Notothrombium Štorkán 1934 T35 [Notothrombiinae W91]
    |--Moyanella [Moyanellinae] WL09
    |    `--M. gigax WL09
    |--Spelaeothrombiinae WL09
    |    |--Typhlothrombium Berlese 1910 WL09, T35
    |    |--Neotyphlothrombium WL09
    |    |--Paratyphlothrombium WL09
    |    `--Speothrombium monoculata Robaux 1972 WL09, DC91
    `--Trombellinae WL09
         |--Parachyzeria Hirst 1926 S61
         |--Nothrotrombidium WL09
         |    |--N. otiorum WL09
         |    `--N. treati WL09
         |--Durenia WL09
         |    |--D. papuana WL09
         |    `--D. singaporensis WL09
         `--Trombella Berlese 1887 H98
              |--T. adelaideae Womersley 1939 H98
              |--T. alpha Southcott 1986 H98
              |--T. calabyi Southcott 1986 H98
              |--T. cucumifera Southcott 1986 H98
              |--T. fusiformis Southcott 1986 H98
              |--T. lusitanica WL09
              |--T. rugosa Southcott 1986 H98
              |--T. sternutor Southcott 1986 H98
              `--T. warregensis Hirst 1929 H98

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[DC91] Daniel, M., V. Černý, J. Štěrba & J. de la Cruz. 1991. Morphological study of adults of trombiculid mites from Cuban hot caves. In: Dusbábek, F., & V. Bukva (eds) Modern Acarology: Proceedings of the VIII International Congress of Acarology, held in České Budĕjovice, Czechoslovakia, 6–11 August 1990 vol. 2 pp. 261–263. SPB Academic Publishing: The Hague.

[H98] Halliday, R. B. 1998. Mites of Australia: A checklist and bibliography. CSIRO Publishing: Collingwood.

[S61] Southcott, R. V. 1961. Studies on the systematics and biology of the Erythraeoidea (Acarina), with a critical revision of the genera and subfamilies. Australian Journal of Zoology 9: 367–610.

[T35] Thor, S. 1935. Übersicht und Einteilung der Familie Trombidiidae W. E. Leach 1814 in Unterfamilien. Zoologischer Anzeiger 109 (5–6): 107–112.

[WL09] Walter, D. E., E. E. Lindquist, I. M. Smith, D. R. Cook & G. W. Krantz. 2009. Order Trombidiformes. In: Krantz, G. W., & D. E. Walter (eds) A Manual of Acarology 3^rd ed. pp. 233–420. Texas Tech University Press.

[W91] Welbourn, W. C. 1991. Phylogenetic studies of the terrestrial Parasitengona. In: Dusbábek, F., & V. Bukva (eds) Modern Acarology: Proceedings of the VIII International Congress of Acarology, held in České Budĕjovice, Czechoslovakia, 6–11 August 1990 vol. 2 pp. 163–170. SPB Academic Publishing: The Hague.

Last updated: 25 June 2022.