Phylogenetic Position of a New Mite Species (Nalepellidae) Destroying Seeds of North American Junipers and New Hypotheses on Basal Divergence of Eriophyoidea.

Eriophyoid mites of the genus Keifer are widespread parasites of conifers. A new oligophagous species,  , was discovered severely damaging seeds of North American junipers (, , and ) in the western USA. It has two codon deletions in the mitochondrial gene rarely detected in Eriophyoidea and includes distinct morphological dimorphism of females.