Genus Blattisocius Keegan, 1944, family Ascidae

Bee Mites : Acari : Parasitiformes : Mesostigmata : Ascidae

Genus Blattisocius Keegan, 1944

Blattisocius Keegan, 1944: 181. Type species Blattisocius triodons Keegan, 1944 (= Lasioseius tarsalis Berlese, 1918) by original designation; Halliday et al., 1998 (their synonymy).

Type speices Blattisocius triodons Keegan, 1944 (= Lasioseius tarsalis Berlese, 1918) by original designation

Material (show database records).

General Description. Blattisocius comprises at least 10 species, most of which are widespread predators in soil, insect cultures and stored food, and on plants. One species, Blattisocius patagiorum Treat, 1966, is parasitic on adult noctuid moths (Halliday et al., 1998). Blattisocius tarsalis (Berlese, 1918) was found in honeybee hives (Apis mellifera) in Canada (Crozier, 1989). This and three others species, Blattisocius dentriticus (Berlese, 1918), Blattisocius apisassociae Chinniah et Mohanasundaram, 1995, and Blattisocius apis Basha et Yousef, 2001 were recorded from the same habitat in the Old World (Banaszak, 1980; Basha and Yousef, 2001; Chinniah and Mohanasundaram, 1995; Haragsim et al., 1978). In addition, Lasioseius sp. was collected in the Philippines from Apis cerana and Apis mellifera (Malabanan and Corpuz-Raros, 1998).

Identification. See key to genera here.

Distribution (show map).

Species associated with bees

Blattisocius apis Basha and Yousef, 2000 [Apis]
Blattisocius apisassociae Chinniah and Mohanasundaram, 1995 [Apis]
Blattisocius dentriticus (Berlese, 1918) [Apis]
Blattisocius keegani (Fox, 1947) [Apis]
Blattisocius mali (Oudemans, 1929) [Apis]
Blattisocius tarsalis (Berlese, 1918) [Apis]

References

Banaszak, J. 1980. Badania nad fauną towarzyszącą w zasiedlonych ulach pszczelich [Investigations of the fauna associated in bee-hives] Fragmenta Faunistica (Warsaw).25: 127-177.

Basha, A.-A. E. & A.-T. A. Yousef. 2000(2001). New species of Laelapidae and Ascidae from Egypt: Genera Androlaelaps and Blattisocius (Acari: Gamasida). Acarologia (Paris).41: 395-402.

Chinniah, C. & M. Mohanasundaram. 1995. Record of new ascid mites (Ascidae: Acari) infesting insects in Tamil Nadu, India. Entomon.20: 233-236.

Crozier, L. 1989. Melittiphis alvearius (Berlese) and other mites found in honeybee colonies in Nova Scotia. Journal of Apicultural Research.28: 166-168.

Halliday, R. B., D. E. Walter & E. E. Lindquist. 1998. Revision of the Australian Ascidae (Acarina : Mesostigmata). Invertebrate Taxonomy.12: 1-54.

Haragsim, O., K. Samšiňák & E. Vobrázková. 1978. The mites inhabiting the bee hives in ČSR. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Entomologie.87: 52-67.

Keegan, H. L. 1944. On a new genus and species of parasitid mite. Journal of Parasitology.30: 181-183.

Malabanan, J. M. & L. A. Corpuz-Raros. 1998. Mites associated with Apis mellifera Linnaeus and Apis cerana Fabricius in the southern Tagalog region, Philippines. Philippine Entomologist.12: 123-135.