Endeostigmatan Mites - Suborder: Endeostigmata
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Endeostigmatans are a small suborder of tiny, soft-bodied mites that are usually whitish to pale lilac to pale ochre in colour. They are not often seen as some species live in deep soil and others live in galls, of various shapes and sizes, which they 'produce' on certain host plants they live on. They are not a monophyletic group and the relationships between families within it are not fully understood. It could even be said that some member-families may not even belong here but we do not know enough about them to consider placing them elsewhere.
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Among the Endeostigmata, the Gall Mites are the ones most of us may have seen evidence of. Galls are the plant cells' response to an irritation or stimulus caused by external factors such as egg-laying or feeding by insects and/or their larvae within the plant tissue itself. Mites, aphids, wasps and midges are the most common culprits but galls can also be caused by nematodes (f.i. on the roots) by bacteria and fungi. Each gall producer has a specific plant it will infect and in general the galls are not a serious threat to the plant but they can be unsightly.
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It is generally not possible to ascertain what organism has caused the gall just by looking at it as each plants' response to the irritation is quite unique. Galls, no matter what has caused them, come in many forms, sizes and even colours and it usually requires dissection of the gall to look for eggs or larvae of the offending creature. It should also be borne in mind that many plant species are hosts to more than one gall causing organism. Some trees such as Oaks are hosts to any of more than 500 species.
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Superfamily: Eriophyoidea
Family: Diptiomilopidae
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Diptiomilopus davisi
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Rhynacus kraussi (likely occurrence)
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Family: Eriophyidae
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Aceria cynodoniensis
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Aceria diospyri
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Aceria hibisci
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Aceria litchii
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Aculops lycopersici
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Aculus campbelli
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Calacarus carinatus (possible occurrence)
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Calipitrimerus maddoxi
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Eriophyes melaleucae
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Eriophyes quinquinerviae
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Oxycenes maxwelli
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Phyllocoptes ballinensis
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Rhombacus sp.
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Scutalophus mallacootensis
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The name 'Endeostigmata' could be considered an unfortunate relic from the taxonomic problems that plagued acarology as a science since its inception. Higher taxons were distinguished by means of morphological features; i.e. by the presence of..., the absence of... the shape of... etc. At one stage scientists were looking at 'stigmata' or pores in the exoskeleton through which the animal could breathe. This led to names like Astigmata, Endeostigmata, Mesostigmata and others like it. Over time, some families originally grouped within these higher taxons have been placed elsewhere and others may have taken their place, and, not always because they have that particular feature for which the higher taxon was named in the first place. The original naming of the group not only became irrelevant but, it may also lead one to believe that all families in the higher taxon share a common trait related to the name of that higher taxon even though they may not. With all the shuffling to and fro over the past two decades it has also become quite difficult to ascertain right now which superfamilies/families make up the Suborder: Endeostigmata.
Taxonomy:
Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
> Subphylum: Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
> Class: Arachnida (Arachnids)
> Subclass: Acari (Mites and Ticks)
> Superorder: Acariformes
> Order: Sarcoptiformes
> Suborder: Endeostigmata (Endeostigmatan Mites)
> Superfamily: Eriophyoidea
> Family: Diptiomilopidae
> Genus: Diptiomilopus
> Species: D. davisi
> Genus: Rhynacus
> Species: R. kraussi *
> Family: Eriophyidae (Gall and Rust Mites)
> Genus: Aceria
> Species: A. cynodoniensis
> Species: A. diospyri
> Species: A. hibisci
> Species: A. litchii
> Genus: Aculops
> Species: A. lycopersici
> Genus: Aculus
> Species: A. campbelli
> Genus: Calacarus
> Species: C. carinatus ^
> Genus: Calepitrimerus
> Species: C. maddoxi
> Genus: Eriophyes
> Species: E. melaleucae
> Species: E. quinquinerviae
> Genus: Oxycenus
> Species: O. maxwelli
> Genus: Phyllocoptes
> Species: P. ballinensis
> Genus: Rhombacus
> Species: ?
> Genus: Scutalophus
> Species: S. mallacootensis
* = likely
^ = possibly
References and links:
> Koch, C.L., (1839). 'Ubersicht des Arachnidensystems. Part 2.' Verlag von J.L. Lotzbeck, Nurnberg, Germany.
> Krantz, G.W. and Walter, D.E. (eds.), (2009). ‘A manual of Acarology, 3rd Edition.’ Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech University Press.
> Reuter, E., (1909). ‘Zur Morphologie und Ontogenie der Acariden.’ Druckerei der Finnishen Literaturgesellschaft, Helsingfors (Helsinki), Finland.
https://eol.org/pages/9060639/names
https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/mites/Invasive_Mite_Identification/key/Major_Mite_taxa/Media/Html/Endeostigmata.htm
https://mortonarb.org
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
> Koch, C.L., (1839). 'Ubersicht des Arachnidensystems. Part 2.' Verlag von J.L. Lotzbeck, Nurnberg, Germany.
> Krantz, G.W. and Walter, D.E. (eds.), (2009). ‘A manual of Acarology, 3rd Edition.’ Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech University Press.
> Reuter, E., (1909). ‘Zur Morphologie und Ontogenie der Acariden.’ Druckerei der Finnishen Literaturgesellschaft, Helsingfors (Helsinki), Finland.
https://eol.org/pages/9060639/names
https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/mites/Invasive_Mite_Identification/key/Major_Mite_taxa/Media/Html/Endeostigmata.htm
https://mortonarb.org
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Photographic Contributions: