Phoresy of Trichouropoda shcherbakae Hirschmann, 1972 (Acari: Mesostigmata) on beetles of the genus Tetropium Kirby, 1837 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in Białowieża Forest, Poland

Abstract

Abstract:The aim of this study was to assess the phoretic relationship between two beetle species of the genus Tetropium and mites from order Mesostigmata. The study was conducted in the Białowieża Forest, which is recognized as one of Europe's last natural forest areas. Insects were caught over a period of 8 weeks in 72 attractant traps (type Intercept IPM). In total 1250 specimens of genus Tetropium were collected. We analyzed 524 beetles, including 295 specimens of T. castaneum and 229 specimens of T. fuscum. On 49 beetles (9.4%) there were 785 individuals of Trichouropoda shcherbakae (Trematuridae). Mites were more common on T. fuscum, which carried 82% of all collected deutonymphs. Most of the mites found on beetles were attached to their legs. This study reports on changes in the intensity of phoresy in time and location of mite deutonymphs on their host species.

Alpha diversity of mesostigmatid mites associated with the bark beetle Ips typographus (L.) in Poland

“…In some cases, the phoretic relationship is very strong, especially when one species of insect or closely related species of insects are carriers for one mite species, for example Plagionotus detritus is carried only by Trichouropoda sociata and Tetropium sp. beetles are carriers only for Trichouropoda shcherbakae (Błoszyk et al ., ; Gwiazdowicz et al ., ). A similar phoretic relationship can be observed for the spruce bark beetle, which is a carrier only for one group of mite species.…”

“…Many previous studies also show that mites have specific preferences for attaching only to some parts of the carrier's body. Those who in their studies touch upon this phenomenon usually state that mites quite often attach to the elytra and legs of the beetle (Costa, ; Bajerlein & Błoszyk, ; Błoszyk et al ., ; Gwiazdowicz et al ., ; Penttinen et al ., ). In these studies, similar to those published by Mašán () and Feketeová (), the found mites were frequently attached to the elytra and thorax, but fairly seldom to the legs.…”

“…Due to the small size of the body (0.3–1.5 mm) and physical limitations to move from one habitat to another, they usually disperse by means of very specific zoochory also called phoresy, which can have different forms of relationship, including both unspecific euryxenous and stenoxenous (Binns, ; Athias‐Binche, ). Mesostigmatid mites attach to the body of the host (an insect or myriapod) and they are often carried long distances from one microhabitat to another (Schwarz & Müller, ; Gwiazdowicz, ; Błoszyk et al ., , ; Gwiazdowicz et al ., ). This phenomenon has been also observed on the spruce beetle I. typographus (L.) , which can be a carrier for mesostigmatid mites (Gwiazdowicz et al ., , ; Čejka & Holuša, ).…”

First Report of the Larch Longhorn (Tetropium gabrieli Weise, Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Spondylidinae) on Larix spp. in Lithuania

“…In contrast to T. castaneum and T. fuscum, which are characterized by polyphagia on different coniferous trees, T. gabrieli is strictly associated with Larix spp. and only occasionally found in other coniferous trees [10][11][12]. Like other Tetropium longhorns, T. gabrieli is considered to be a secondary pest, breeding mainly in dying or severely stressed standing trees [5], and thus can be more harmful to trees during hot and dry summers [5,8,13].…”