Bee Mites : Acari : Acariformes : Sarcoptiformes : Acaridae : Sancassania : Ctenocolletacarus
Sancassania (Ctenocolletacarus) grandior Fain, 1984, comb. n.
Ctenocolletacarus grandior Fain, 1984: 79, Figs 8, 9 (holotype HDN, ex Ctenocolletes centralis metasomal acarinarium, Western Australia (12.5 km ENE of Anketell HS 28°02'S, 118°51'E), in WAM; paratype HDNs in WAM, IRSNB, BMNH; included in key); Fain & Houston, 1986: 69 (rearing experiments from protonymphs found inside a single cell of Ctenocolletes nicholsoni yielded phoretic deutonymphs of both of C. longirostris and C. grandior; bee females occupying the nest were all carrying deutonymphs of C. grandior; mention that what they refer to under C. longirostris may be a mix of C. longirostris and C. grandior); Houston, 1987: 460 (observation on mite biology inside host bee nest; mention that specimens identified as "C. longirostris" may be a mix of C. longirostris and C. grandior) .
Biology. Deutonymph are found phoretic in circular metasomal acarinaria on the lateral margins of metasomal tergites 3 and 4. Houston (1987) gives a detailed biological account of "C. longirostris" (which may partially include C. grandior).
Identification. Known from phoretic deutonymphs (Fain, 1984; Fain & Houston, 1986).
Feeding stages may be indistinguishable from those of C. longirostris. See key to species of Sancassania (Ctenocolletacarus) based on phoretic deutonymphs.
Distribution. Australia: Western Australia (type locality).
Hosts
Ctenocolletes centralis Houston, 1983 (type host).
Ctenocolletes nicholsoni (Cockerell, 1929)
Notes. Sibling species of C. longirostris.
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.
B. OConnor and P. Klimov ©
Created: Oct 06, 2011
Last modified: