Melissotydeus macrosolenus André, 1985, family Tydeidae

Melissotydeus macrosolenus, female, dorsal view, ex Partamona mourei, Brazil (modified from André, 1985) title=

Fig. 1. Melissotydeus macrosolenus, female, dorsal view, ex Partamona mourei, Brazil (modified from André, 1985). Click to enlarge

Bee Mites : Acari : Acariformes : Trombidiformes : Tydeidae : Melissotydeus

Melissotydeus macrosolenus André, 1985

Melissotydeus macrosolenus André, 1985: 244, Fig. 1 (holotype female and paratype TN in dept. Zoologia, Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz", University of Sao Paulo, Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil; paratype female in André’s collection); Eickwort, 1994: 329 (listed in table); Kazmierski, 1998a: 292.

Hosts.

Partamona mourei Camargo, 1980 (type host)

Frieseomellita sp. (as “Frieseomellita modesta" (nom. nud., Moure’s ms n., see Moure at al., 2011]) (André, 1985).

Distribution. Brazil: Roraima: Mucajai (type locality), Amazonas (André, 1985).

Biology. Eickwort (1994) hypothesized that this species may be mutualistic feeding on fungi in the bee's nests.

References

André, H. M. 1985. Acari domum meliponinarum brasiliensium habitantes. 10. Melissotydeus macrosolenus gen. n., sp. n. (Acari: Tydeidae). Bulletin & Annales de la Societe Royale Belge d'Entomologie.21: 243-246.

Eickwort, G. C. 1994. Evolution and life-history patterns of mites associated with bees. In Mites: Ecological and Evolutionary Analyses of Life-History Patterns, ed. M. A. Houck, 218-251. New York: Chapman & Hall.

Kazmierski, A. 1998. Tydeinae of the world: generic relationships, new and redescribed taxa and keys to all species. A revision of the subfamilies Pretydeinae and Tydeinae (Acari: Actinedida: Tydeidae) - part IV. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia.41: 283-455.

Moure, J. S., D. Urban, G. A. R. d. Melo, E. d. Maia & A. D. Molin. 2011. Moure's bee catalogue http://www.moure.cria.org.br/index.

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female