Bee Mites : Acari : Parasitiformes : Mesostigmata : Laelapidae : Eumellitiphis
Eumellitiphis mellitus Türk, 1948
Eumellitiphis mellitus Turk, 1948: 111, Figs 42-46; (?) Delfinado-Baker and Baker, 1988: 129, Fig. 1.
Material. 1 male, 2 pharate protonymphs - PANAMA: Colón Prov., Parque Nacional Soberania, 11 km N Gamboa, Pipeline Rd., nest of Lestrimelitta limao (Smith, 1863) (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini), 6 Apr 1988, D. Roubik, BMOC 88-0729-001.
Notes. This species has been originally described (protonymph, male, female) from nests of Lestrimelitta limao from Trinidad (Turk, 1948). Delfinado-Baker and Baker (1988) found a female and protonymph in the nest of the same host and included a figure of the female. The authors also mentioned that they have compared their material with the Turk's types. We have a male that has the dorsal shield very similar to that of the female figured by Delfinado-Baker and Baker (1988). However, the anterior part of spermatodactyl in our male is slightly S-shaped, but it is straight in the Turk's figure (Fig. 45). Thus, our specimens probably are not authentic Eumellitiphis mellitus.
Hosts. Lestrimelitta limao (Apidae) (type host). This mite species might actually have a wide range of hosts, because Lestrimelitta robs provision in the nests of other stingless bees (Michener, 2000).
Distribution. Trinidad and Tobago: Arima (type locality), Brazil (no additional data); Panama: Colón (Turk, 1948; Delfinado-Baker and Baker, 1988; our data).
References
Delfinado-Baker, M. & E. W. Baker. 1988. New mites (Acari: Laelapidae) from the nests of stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponinae) from Asia. International Journal of Acarology.14: 127-136.
Turk, F. A. 1948. Insecticolous Acari from Trinidad, B.W.I. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London.118: 82-125.
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Created: April 19, 2012
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