Vulgarogamasus pollinerus El-Banhawy and Nasr, 1984, family Parasitidae

Bee Mites : Acari : Parasitiformes : Mesostigmata : Parasitidae : Vulgarogamasus

Vulgarogamasus pollinerus El-Banhawy and Nasr, 1984

Vulgarogamasus pollinerus El-Banhawy et Nasr, 1984: 76, Figs 1-10.

Material. 7 slides from R. W. Husband's collection (not processed).

Hosts.

Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758 (type host)
Bombus (Bombias) auricomus (Robertson, 1903) (first record)
Bombus (Bombus) terricola Kirby, 1837 (first record)
Bombus (Fervidobombus) pensylvanicus (De Geer, 1773) (as americanorum) (first record)
Bombus (Pyrobombus) bimaculatus Cresson, 1863 (first record)
Bombus (Pyrobombus) impatiens Cresson, 1863 (first record)

Distribution. USA; Indiana (first record); Michigan (first record); Montana (first record), New York (type locality).

Biology. A few deutonymphs were originally found in beehives in New York. We found seven deutonymphs phoretic on bumblebees and inside their nests. There is no evidence, however, that V. pollinerus is strictly associated with bees. Probably, this species, like other Parasitidae, preys on small arthropods in a variety of habitats, including bee nests.

References

El-Banhawy, E. M. & A. K. Nasr. 1984[1986]. Incidence of mites in bee hives in the State of New York with descriptions of two new species. Zoological Society of Egypt Bulletin.34: 76-82.