Sancassania (Ctenocolletacarus) brevirostris Fain, 1984, comb. n.

Fig. 1. Sancassania (Ctenocolletacarus) brevirostris, phoretic deutonymph, ex Ctenocolletes nigricans, West Australia, BMOC 86-0406-001 Click to enlarge

Bee Mites : Acari : Acariformes : Sarcoptiformes : Acaridae : Sancassania : Ctenocolletacarus

Sancassania (Ctenocolletacarus) brevirostris Fain, 1984, comb. n.

Ctenocolletacarus brevirostris Fain, 1984: 85, Fig. 7, 11-13 (holotype HDN, ex Ctenocolletes albomarginatus metasomal acarinarium, Western Australia, in WAM; paratype HDNs in WAM, IRSNB, BMNH; included in key); Fain & Houston, 1986: 74, Figs 7-10, 18-27 (description of female, homeo- and heteromorphic male, and trytonymph; new host records); Houston, 1987: 460 (observation on mite biology inside host bee nest) .

Material (show database records).

Biology. Deutonymphs are phoretic in circular metasomal acarinaria on the lateral margins of metasomal terga 3 and 4. See Houston (1987) for a detailed biological account of this species.

Identification. Known from phoretic deutonymph, female, homeo- and heteromorphic male, and tritonymph (Fain, 1984; Fain & Houston, 1986). See key to species of Sancassania (Ctenocolletacarus) based on phoretic deutonymphs.

Distribution. Australia: Western Australia (incl. Merredin - type locality).

Hosts.
Ctenocolletes albomarginatus Michener, 1965 (type host).
Ctenocolletes nigricans Houston, 1985

References

Fain, A. 1984. A new genus of mite (Acari: Acaridae) phoretic on bees (Ctenocolletes) in Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum.11: 77-86.

Fain, A. & T. F. Houston. 1986. Life cycle stages of mites of the genus Ctenocolletacarus Fain (Acari: Acaridae) associated with Ctenocolletes bees in Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum.13: 67-77.

Houston, T. F. 1987. The symbiosis of acarid mites, genus Ctenocolletacarus (Acarina: Acariformes), and stenotritid bees, genus Ctenocolletes (Insecta: Hymenoptera). Australian Journal of Zoology.35: 459-468.