Phoresy as Migration ‐ Some Functional Aspects of Phoresy in Mites

Abstract

Some functional aspects of phoresy in mites 573 5 74 E. S. BINNS I have previously suggested that, where little is known of the biology of either phoretic or host, the discovery of a phoretic relationship adds to our understanding of the ecology of each species (Binns, 1972). The wealth of data available for such studies may be gauged from a published compilation of over 800 mite species carried by over 1,300 hosts (Farish, 1965). Nonetheless, only a one-line reference to phoresy in the Acarina is made in a work on The Evolutionary Ecology of Animal Migration of over I ,000 pages (Baker, 1978). T h e problem, however, is to give form to the mass of information. The present study seeks to discover in what sense the assumptions about the role of phoresy inherent in the above definition are consistent with recent theories of migration, particularly those derived from largely independent studies on insects. BEHAVIOUR AND PHORETIC MIGRATION ( I ) Biological necessity for phoresyThe restriction imposed by the biology of mites on the ecology of their dispersal were well summarized for the Tyroglyphoidea (Zakhvatkin, I 959). Thus, the majority are restricted in activity, being clumsy and slow and incapable of covering large distances; their speed varies from 5'2 mm/min in Caloglyphus rodionovi Zakhvatkin to 150 mm/min in Glycyphagus michaeli Oud.; they seldom move in a straight line so that their dispersal is limited. The possibility of active dispersal is further reduced by their narrow ecological limits (mainly in relation to humidity, e.g. Behura, I 956) which permit habitation of only limited micro-climates, which are not constant with distance. Dispersal is vital because of the requirements of the immature and adult stages, and movement is of prime importance as their habitats are scattered or separated by what are for them insurpassable distances. The fluctuating humidity of many habitats necessitates a constant migration of mites between micro-climates in the different regions of the habitat (e.g. in the different layers of plant debris). T h e anomaly of their weak capacity for active dispersal and their urgent biological need for it is solved by employing various means of dispersal: by wind (anemohoria) or by animals (zoohoria), both of which have been described as 'passive' (Zakhvatkin, 1959 and Section I1 (2)). My concern in this review will, therefore, be with the central role of phoresy and its relationship to dispersal or migration. the New York Entomological Socity 65, 51-78. 52, 323-360. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 45, 29-275. by season and host sex. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 42. 195-219. Caloglyphus boharti. Journal of Insect Physiology 15, zo45-zo57.

Ácaros asociados a dos especies de Odontotaenius (Coleoptera: Passalidae) en México

“…Los primeros son aquellos que se fijan al huésped a través de las uñas y carúnculas de las patas que les sirven como estructuras de succión para adherirse a las partes lisas del pasálido (Hunter, 1993a); aquí se incluyen a los euzercónidos y heteroquélidos (Hunter & Davis, 1965;Hunter, 1993a). En el caso de los estadios ninfales en uropódidos y trematúridos han desarrollado un pedicelo anal que les permite fijarse a las zonas expuestas, es común encontrarlos en la superficie ventral en áreas gulares y coxales (Binns, 1981). Los histiostomátidos son comunes en los pasálidos y al igual que los acáridos juveniles cuentan con una placa suctorial en el área anal que les permite la unión al huésped, principalmente se ubican en las coxas III (Hunter, 1993a).…”

“…Se conocen más de 200 especies de ácaros asociadas con coleópteros pasálidos, abarcando 68 géneros y 21 familias de los órdenes Mesostigmata, Trombidiformes y Sarcoptiformes (Hunter, 1993a). Una asociación importante entre ácaros y pasálidos es la foresia, que consiste en el transporte de un organismo pequeño (foronte) quien se fija temporalmente a un organismo más grande (huésped) con el fin de dispersarse, esto inducido por cambios en el microclima o a una alta densidad poblacional (Binns, 1981;Hunter, 1993a). En esta asociación, el huésped no resulta perjudicado, siempre y cuando la densidad del foronte no impida el movimiento del mismo; por otra parte, garantiza al foronte la colonización de nuevos hábitats (Athias-Binche, 1994).…”

Positive and negative effects of phoretic mites on the reproductive output of an invasive bark beetle

“…For example, tarsonemid mites found upon species of Ips are often phoretic for one phase of their lives but detach upon arrival in a gallery to prey upon beetle eggs (Lindquist 1969). Indeed, females with a high reproductive value often bear the bulk of the phoretic burden within populations (Binns 1982). Asymmetrical ectosymbiotic interactions with different host life stages have been reported in astigmatid mites that are phoretic upon bees (Eickwort 1994).…”

Responses of water mite assemblages (Acari) to environmental parameters at irrigated rice cultivation fields and native lakes

“…The dispersion process is very important, since it allows the expansion of mite populations, the colonization of different areas, and escaping from natural enemies (Binns 1982, Zawal et al 2013, Knee et al 2013. Most larval water mites are parasites of insect, which facilitates their dispersal (Smith et al 2009, Williams andProctor 2002).…”