Polydiscia deuterosminthurus
Polydiscia deuterosminthurus is a species of mite recently discovered in the autonomous community of Navarre in Spain.
| Polydiscia deuterosminthurus | |
|---|---|
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| Family: | Tanaupodidae |
| Genus: | Polydiscia |
| Species: | P. deuterosminthurus |
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| Polydiscia deuterosminthurus Baquero, Moraza & Jordana, 2003 | |
Only the six-legged larval stage is so far known. This lives as a parasite on the springtail Deuterosminthurus bisetosus, which was discovered at the same time as the parasite. The association between the two species only seems to last for a few weeks in May and June. Both creatures appear to be entirely restricted to a single host plant at this stage of their life cycle: the broom Genista hispanica.
These red mites are tiny, less than 0.3 mm in length but are huge in comparison to their hosts, averaging a third of the length of Deuterosminthurus bisetosus, to which they attach piggyback-fashion, the jaws embedded in the joint between head and prothorax. The remainder of the life cycle of this mite remains a total mystery.
References
- E. Baquero, M. L. Moraza and R. Jordana (2003). "A new species of Polydiscia (Acari, Prostigmata, Tanaupodidae) with reference to its host: a new species of Deuterosminthurus (Collembola, Symphypleona, Bourletiellidae)" (PDF). Zootaxa. 188: 1–16.