Insect Diversity and Biology

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 661

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
Interests: genomics; molecular evolution; co-evolution; mite systematics; phylogeny

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Acari (mites and ticks) are an incredibly diverse group, with an estimated 930,000 to 150,000,000 extant species, although only a fraction of them is known. Acari are important from various aspects, contributing to the global terrestrial decomposer food chain by breaking down plant litter and wood materials (Oribatida); being parasites of vertebrates (Ixodida) or agricultural pests (Eriophyoidea, Tetranychoidea); transmitting dangerous pathogens to humans, animals and plants; and playing a crucial role in biological pest control as voracious predators (Phytoseiidae) that can replace chemical pesticides.  House dust mites cause allergies in approximately 30% of humans. Acari are also interesting from an evolutionary perspective as ancient asexuals, persisting for millions of years without sexual reproduction and because they form intimate associations with an array of bird, mammal, and arthropod hosts. This Special Issue is aimed at providing selected contributions on advances in phylogenetics, diversity, evolution, systematics, and ecology of mites and ticks.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Phylogenetics;
  • Systematics;
  • Evolution and co-evolution;
  • Biodiversity;
  • Ecology;
  • Host associations;
  • The role of mites in agriculture and medicine.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Pavel B. Klimov
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • phylogenetics
  • systematics
  • evolution and co-evolution
  • biodiversity
  • ecology
  • host associations
  • role of mites in agriculture and medicine

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

28 pages, 11175 KiB  
Article
Typification of the Economically Important Species Thyreophagus entomophagus (Acari: Astigmata: Acaridae) Used for the Industrial Production of Predatory Mites: The Designation of a Neotype with Detailed Morphological and DNA Sequence Data
by Pavel B. Klimov, Vasiliy B. Kolesnikov, Alexander A. Khaustov, Vladimir A. Khaustov, Jonas Merckx, Marcus V. A. Duarte, Dominiek Vangansbeke, Ilse Geudens and Almir Pepato
Animals 2025, 15(3), 357; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15030357 - 26 Jan 2025
Viewed by 386
Abstract
The mite Thyreophagus entomophagus is a cosmopolitan species of significant economic importance in biocontrol applications, serving as a factitious prey for the mass rearing of predatory mites. This species has been reported from a variety of habitats. However, the taxonomic reliability of its [...] Read more.
The mite Thyreophagus entomophagus is a cosmopolitan species of significant economic importance in biocontrol applications, serving as a factitious prey for the mass rearing of predatory mites. This species has been reported from a variety of habitats. However, the taxonomic reliability of its name is questionable due to inconsistencies in historical species identifications, the absence of type specimens, and misidentified GenBank sequences. Here, to address these issues and to standardize the nomenclature, we redescribe Thyreophagus entomophagus based on a commercial culture with known COX1 barcoding sequence data and designate a neotype from this culture. As part of delimiting the species boundaries of Th. entomophagus, the question of whether this species forms heteromorphic deutonymphs is particularly important. While the literature suggests that most populations lack them, at least one population in Germany has been reported to produce heteromorphic deutonymphs. However, after careful examination, we identified this population as a new species, Thyreophagus holda, indicating that previous identifications of this population as Th. entomophagus were incorrect. The absence of the heteromorphic deutonymphal stage is a beneficial trait for mass production, as it simplifies the life cycle by eliminating the energetically costly heteromorphic deutonymph. Our preliminary molecular phylogenetic analyses of Th. entomophagus and other species of Thyreophagus indicate that the loss of heteromorphic deutonymphs and the emergence of asexual reproduction (another beneficial trait for mass production) are derived traits that arose after the divergence of the most recent common ancestor of Thyreophagus. These insights enhance our understanding of the evolutionary traits that increase the effectiveness of Th. entomophagus and related species in biocontrol settings. Our study points to the need for additional bioprospecting efforts to identify new candidate species for biocontrol that possess both asexual reproduction and the absence of heteromorphic deutonymphs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Diversity and Biology)
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