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Uropodidae

Uropodidae (from Ancient Greek οὐρά (ourá), meaning "tail", and πούς (poús), meaning "foot") is a family of mites in the order Mesostigmata.

Description

As part of superfamily Uropodoidea, Uropodidae are tortoise-like mites with an oval to circular outline, and with armour both dorsally and ventrally. They can be distinguished from other uropodoids by their chelicerae lacking a large, sclerotized node and their genital opening being in an intercoxal position.

Ecology

Several species in the family commonly infest worm bins and consume food intended for the worms.

An undescribed species of Uropodidae sucks out the hemolymph of pupae of Pheidole megacephala ants, resulting in the death of pupae. It preferentially attacks pupae of soldier and male ants.

Uropodidae are phoretic on larger arthropods, meaning that they attach to larger arthropods to be transported to new places. This attachment is achieved using a pedicel of translucent material extruded from the mite's anus. One known host for uropodid mites is the red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), though this particular relationship may actually be parasitic, as mite-infested weevils have a shorter lifespan than uninfested weevils.

Species

References