Genus Lasioseius Berlese, 1916, family Ascidae

Bee Mites : Acari : Parasitiformes : Mesostigmata : Ascidae

Genus Lasioseius Berlese, 1916

Lasioseius Berlese, 1916: 34 (type species Seius musicatus [lapsus pro muricatus] Berlese, 1887 (non Koch, 1839) (=Typhlodromus berlesei Oudemans, 1938) by original designation) (part.); Halliday et al., 1998: 24 (their synonymy).

Type speices Seius musicatus [lapsus pro muricatus] Berlese, 1887 (non Koch, 1839) (=Typhlodromus berlesei Oudemans, 1938) by original designation

General Description. Lasioseius, with approximately 100 described species, is probably the most morphologically diverse genus of Ascidae (Halliday et al., 1998). Species of this genus were found on rotting organic substances, in forest litter, moss, soil, in nests of small mammals and birds, under bark, in bracket-fungi, tree-holes, stored products, in warehouses, and hay. Several species were collected in beehives: Lasioseius penicilliger Berlese, 1916 in Canada, the former Czechoslovakia, and Iran (Crozier, 1989; Haragsim et al., 1987; Mosaddegh, 1997); Lasioseius berlesei (Oudemans, 1938) in Europe and Canada (Homann, 1933; Walter & Lindquist, 1989), and Lasioseius furcisetus Athias-Henriot, 1959 in the Western part of the former USSR (Bregetova, 1977). Lasioseius sp. was recorded from the Philippines in association with Apis cerana and Apis mellifera (Malabanan and Corpuz-Raros, 1998). There is no evidence, however, that beehives are their primary habitat.

Identification. See key to genera here.

Species associated with bees.

Lasioseius berlesei (Oudemans, 1938) [Apis]
Lasioseius floridensis Berlese group [Apis]
Lasioseius furcisetus Athias-Henriot, 1959 [Apis]
Lasioseius krantzi Chant, 1963 [Apis]
Lasioseius penicilliger (Berlese, 1916) [Apis Bombus]
Lasioseius spp. De Jong et al., 1985; Malabanan and Corpuz-Raros, 1988 [Apis]

References

Berlese, A. 1916. Centuria prima di Acari nuovi. Redia.12: 19-67.

Bregetova, N. G. 1977. [Family Aceosejidae]. In [Opredelitel' obytayshchikh v pochve kleshchey Mesostigmata = Identification key to soil-inhabiting mites Mesostigmata], eds. M. S. Gilarov & N. G. Bregetova, 169-226. Leningrad: Nauka.

Crozier, L. 1989. Melittiphis alvearius (Berlese) and other mites found in honeybee colonies in Nova Scotia. Journal of Apicultural Research.28: 166-168.

Halliday, R. B., D. E. Walter & E. E. Lindquist. 1998. Revision of the Australian Ascidae (Acarina : Mesostigmata). Invertebrate Taxonomy.12: 1-54.

Haragsim, O., K. Samšiňák & E. Vobrázková. 1978. The mites inhabiting the bee hives in ČSR. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Entomologie.87: 52-67.

Homann, H. 1933. Die Milben in gesunden Bienenstöcken. Zeitschrift fur Parasitenkunde.6: 350-415.

Malabanan, J. M. & L. A. Corpuz-Raros. 1998. Mites associated with Apis mellifera Linnaeus and Apis cerana Fabricius in the southern Tagalog region, Philippines. Philippine Entomologist.12: 123-135.

Mosaddegh, M. S. 1997. Some mites of the honey bee Apis mellifera L. hives in Iran. The Scientific Journal of Agriculture (Shahid Chamran Univ., Ahwaz, Iran).19: 7-16.

Walter, D. E. & E. E. Lindquist. 1989. Life history and behavior of mites in the genus Lasioseius (Acari: Mesostigmata: Ascidae) from grassland soils in Colorado, with taxonomic notes and description of a new species. Canadian Journal of Zoology.67: 2797-2813.