Proctolaelaps bombophilus (Postner in Westerboer, 1963), family Ascidae

Bee Mites : Acari : Parasitiformes : Mesostigmata : Ascidae : Proctolaelaps

Proctolaelaps bombophilus (Postner in Westerboer, 1963)

Garmania (Garmaniella) bombophila Postner in Westerboer, 1963: 416, Figs 252-254.

Garmaniella bombophila: Karg, 1971: 244, Figs 257i, 258p, 264b.

Melichares bombophila: Bregetova, 1977: 222, Figs 142,2,7-10.

Melichares bombophilus: Klimov, 1998: 13.

Material. 3 females (including 1 female in bad shape from Sweden) and 1 male from R. W. Husbands' collection (unprocessed).

General Description.

Notes. Our mites well agree with the original description (Westerboer, 1963), except for movable digit of chelicera with one tooth (two in P. bombophilus from Europe) and apices of corniculi less pointed. The species is identified tentatively. Comparison with European material is necessary.

Identification. See key to species here.

Hosts.

North America:

Bombus (Bombus) terricola Kirby, 1837 (as occidentalis)

Bombus (Fervidobombus) fervidus (Fabricius, 1798) (as californicus)

Europe: Bombus sp.

Bombus (Bombus) albocinctus Smith

Bombus (Confusibombus) confusus Schenck, 1859 (as "conficius") (first record).

Distribution. Canada: Alberta (first record); USA: Michigan (first record); Germany (type locality); Sweden (first record); Russia: Moskovskaya Oblast', Western Siberia, Kuril Islands (Bregetova, 1977; Davydova and Bogatyrev, 1990; Klimov, 1998; Westerboer, 1963; our data)

Biology. This species is found so far in nests of bumblebees, and also in nests of rodents, including squirrels (Bregetova, 1977; Westerboer, 1963). One specimen was collected phoretic on a bumblebee (our data). Mites from North America were found on brood and dead female inside nest.

References

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.

Davydova, M. S. & N. R. Bogatyrev. 1990. [The fauna and several peculiarities of ecology of gamasid mites associated with bumblebees]. In Chlenistonogie i gelminty [=Arthropods and helminths], ed. G. S. Zolotarenko, 27-33. Novosibirsk: Nauka.

Karg, W. 1971. Acari (Acarina), Milben. Unterordnung Anactinochaeta (Parasitiformes). Die freilebenden Gamasina (Gamasides), Raubmilben. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands. 59. pp.

Klimov, P. B. 1998. To the knowledge of mites and ticks (Acari) of Kuril Islands. Far Eastern Entomologist.36: 1-36.

Westerboer, I. 1963. Die Familie Podocinidae Berlese 1916. In Beiträge zur Systematik und Ökologie Mitteleuropäischer Acarina. Band II. Mesostigmata 1., ed. H.-J. Stammer, 179-450. Leipzig: Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft Geest & Portig K.-G.