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--Apple-Mail-47-912621802 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Hi Dave, On 4-Sep-06, at 9:10 PM, David & Alison Webster wrote: > Christopher Majka wrote: >> The creatures on the Nicrophorus beetle (there are seven species >> of Nicrophorus in Nova Scotia including N. sayi) are not young >> beetles (I don't believe there are any beetles which carry their >> young in this fashion), or parasites, but rather are so-called >> "phoretic" mites. >> > Hi Chris & All, Sept 4, 2006 > I have noted mites on a number of beetles, all having in common > that they may inhabit humid environments: Carabidae, 5 genera, 10 > numbers; Hydrophilids, one genus; Silphids, one genus; > Staphylenids, two genera; Elaters, one genus; Cerambycids, one > genus; Curculionids, 4 genera, 5 numbers. Some (most ?) of these > may also be just hitching a ride. > > Also I sometimes see oval, flattened somethings that are > attached to a beetle by a stalk (eggs ?, fungi ?). As it happens, I > noted these on 1132, a Hister that came in with the batch of > beetles that I left for you in mid-August. Any idea what these > might be ? There are many different phoretic mites which are found on beetles. Species in the Parasitidae, Eviphididae, Macrochelidae, and other families are specialized predators on Diptera eggs. One typically finds them on species of Silphidae (carrion beetles), Scarabaeidae (Aphodinae & others) (dung beetles), Geotrupidae (earth-boring scarabs), Histeridae (hister beetles) Hydrophilidae: Sphaeridinae, Staphylinidae (rove beetles), and other largish beetles that frequent dung and carrion. There are other mites that are phoretic on other beetles for other purposes. I've occasionally noticed them on various wood-boring species and I think these are mites which live in sub-cortical situations and hitch rides on corresponding beetles. The stalked entities you noticed on the Hister beetle (and one finds them on many other dung and carrion dwelling beetles as well) are deutonymphs of mesostigmatid mites in the Uropodidae. There are also many uropodid mites that dwell in subcortical environments (one frequently finds deutonymphs on bark beetles (Scolytidae)) and in soil and leaf litter. I'm not precisely clear on what their bionomics are in all these situations, but they are not predators of of Diptera eggs. Mites have a very complicated life history with a variable number (often six) of instars after hatching. These are the prelarva, larva, protonymph, deutonymph, tritonymph, and adult. In some of these stages the mites feed while in others they do not. In some groups (like the Uropodidae) the deutonymphs become sessile and attach themselves to other organisms for purposes of dispersal. There are also some mites which are actual parasites of beetles. For example the larvae of a number of species of water-mites in the Hydrachnellidae are obligate parasites of larvae and adults of the larger water-beetles in the Dytiscidae. There are also trombidiiform mites in the family Podipolipidae which are parasitic and live under the elytra of species of Carabidae (ground-beetles). There are also mites in the Opilioacaridae, the Holothyridae, and some of the larger mesostigmatid mites which are predatory on small species of beetles (perhaps Ptiliidae, or other small beetles that are found in decomposing situations?). There is also an interesting mite (which may be of particular interest to you, given your interest in the Lymexylidae) called Histiogaster hylecoeti, which lives in a commensal relationship with the ship-timber beetle, Elateroides lugubris (Say). The larval mites live in the tunnels excavated by the larval beetles feeding on the ambrosia fungus, Endomyces hylecoeti, associated with the beetle, and the deutonymphs then attach themselves to the adult beetles, presumably for dispersal to new habitats -- a very neat relationship of beetle, mite and fungus! Cheers! Chris _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._. _. Christopher Majka - Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3A6 (902) 424-6435 Email <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._. _. --Apple-Mail-47-912621802 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 <HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; = -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Dave,<DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On = 4-Sep-06, at 9:10 PM, David & Alison Webster wrote:</DIV><BR = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type=3D"cite">Christopher = Majka wrote:<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE type=3D"cite" = cite=3D"mid:E7AA2390-6D2A-46A3-9246-E8E54A46C5E8@ns.sympatico.ca"> = <DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span">The creatures on the = <I>Nicrophorus</I> beetle (there are seven species of <I>Nicrophorus</I> = in Nova Scotia including <I>N. sayi</I>)=A0 are not young beetles = (I=A0don't believe there are any beetles which carry their young in = this=A0fashion), or parasites, but rather are so-called "phoretic" = mites.</SPAN></DIV> </DIV> <DIV><BR> </DIV> </BLOCKQUOTE> Hi Chris = & All,=A0=A0=A0 =A0=A0=A0 =A0=A0=A0 Sept 4, 2006<BR> =A0=A0=A0 I = have noted mites on a number of beetles, all having in common that they = may inhabit humid environments: Carabidae, 5 genera, 10 numbers; = Hydrophilids, one genus; Silphids, one genus; Staphylenids, two genera; = Elaters, one genus; Cerambycids, one genus; Curculionids, 4 genera, 5 = numbers. Some (most ?) of these may also be just=A0 hitching a ride. = <BR> <BR> =A0=A0=A0 Also I sometimes see oval, flattened somethings = that are attached to a beetle by a stalk (eggs ?, fungi ?). As it = happens, I noted these on 1132, a Hister that came in with the batch of = beetles that I left for you in mid-August. Any idea what these might be = ?<BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV>There are many different = phoretic mites which are found on beetles. Species in = the=A0Parasitidae,=A0Eviphididae,=A0Macrochelidae, and other families = are specialized predators on Diptera eggs. One typically finds them on = species of Silphidae (carrion beetles), Scarabaeidae (Aphodinae & = others)=A0(dung beetles), Geotrupidae (earth-boring scarabs), Histeridae = (hister beetles) Hydrophilidae: Sphaeridinae, Staphylinidae (rove = beetles), and other largish beetles that frequent dung and = carrion.=A0</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>There are other mites that = are phoretic on other beetles for other purposes. I've occasionally = noticed them on various wood-boring species and I think these are mites = which live in sub-cortical situations and hitch rides on corresponding = beetles.</DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN = class=3D"Apple-style-span">The stalked entities you noticed on the = <I>Hister</I> beetle (and one finds them on many other dung and carrion = dwelling beetles as well) are deutonymphs of mesostigmatid mites in the = Uropodidae. There are also many uropodid mites that dwell in subcortical = environments (one frequently finds deutonymphs on bark beetles = (Scolytidae)) and in soil and leaf litter. I'm not precisely clear on = what their bionomics are in all these situations, but they are not = predators of of Diptera eggs.</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Mites have a very = complicated life history with a variable number (often six) of instars = after hatching. These are the prelarva, larva, protonymph, deutonymph, = tritonymph, and adult. In some of these stages the mites feed while in = others they do not. In some groups (like the Uropodidae) the=A0deutonymphs= become sessile and attach themselves to other organisms for purposes of = dispersal.</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>There are also some mites = which are actual parasites of beetles. For example the larvae of a = number of species of water-mites in the Hydrachnellidae are obligate = parasites of larvae and adults of the larger water-beetles in the = Dytiscidae. There are also trombidiiform mites in the family = Podipolipidae which are parasitic and live under the elytra of species = of Carabidae (ground-beetles). There are also mites in the = Opilioacaridae, the Holothyridae, and some of the larger mesostigmatid = mites which are predatory on small species of beetles (perhaps = Ptiliidae, or other small beetles that are found in decomposing = situations?).</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN = class=3D"Apple-style-span">There is also an interesting mite (which may = be of particular interest to you, given your interest in the = Lymexylidae) called <I>Histiogaster hylecoeti</I>, which lives in a = commensal relationship with the ship-timber beetle,<I>=A0Elateroides = lugubris</I> (Say). The larval mites live in the tunnels excavated by = the larval beetles feeding on the ambrosia fungus, <I>Endomyces = hylecoeti</I>, associated with the beetle, and the deutonymphs then = attach themselves to the adult beetles, presumably for dispersal to new = habitats -- a very neat relationship of beetle, mite and = fungus!</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Cheers!</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Chris</DIV><DIV><BR><DIV> = <P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" = size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Times">_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._= ._._._.</FONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT = face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Times">Christopher Majka = - Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History</FONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: = 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: = 12.0px Times">1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada<SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>B3H 3A6</FONT></P> <P = style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Times">(902) 424-6435 <SPAN = class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>Email <<A = href=3D"mailto:c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca">c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca</A>></F= ONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times"= size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Times">_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._= ._._._.</FONT></P> </DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>= --Apple-Mail-47-912621802--
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