Fig. 1. Mite Melittiphis alvearius (Laelapidae) found in beehives. Modified from Evans and Till (1966).

Family Laelapidae | Back | Home | UMMZ Acari

Genus Melittiphis Berlese, 1918

Melittiphis Berlese, 1918: 117 (type species Laelaps (Iphis) alvearius Berlese, 1895 by original designation); Vitzthum, 1930: 284; Evans and Till, 1966: 275; Samsinak et al., 1978: 50.

Melittiphis alvearius (Berlese, 1895)

Melittiphis alvearius: Berlese, 1918: 117; Vitzthum, 1930: 285, Figs 1-3; Evans and Till, 1966: 275, Fig. 66; Samsinak et al., 1978: 50; Crozier, 1989: 167.

Biology. Found in beehives of the European honey bee, Apis mellifera or on bees. Serological procedures demonstrated that this mite is not a parasite or predator, but rather a scavenger of pollen in the hives (Gibbins and Toor, 1990).
Distribution. Canada: Nova Scotia, Ontario; Chile; Italy (type locality), England; Germany; former Czechoslovakia; Russia; Australia; New Zeland (Berlese, 1918; Casanueva, 1992; Crozier, 1989; Davis and MacRory, 1987; Delfinado-Baker, 1994; Evans and Till, 1966; Gibbins and Toor, 1990; Grobov, 1975; Knihinicki and Halliday, 1995; Samsinak et al., 1978; Vitzthum, 1930).
Hosts. Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758 (type host).


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B. OConnor and P. Klimov ©
Created: Apr 20, 2004
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