Deuterogyny and the Association of Two Vagrant Eriophyoid Mites (Acariformes, Eriophyoidea) with the Host-plant Generative Organs of Two Broad-leaved Trees in North-West Russia.

Phytoparasitic mites of the superfamily Eriophyoidea Nalepa live and feed on mature leaf surfaces, between leaf bud scales, and (though less commonly) on flowers or fruits. In this study, we focused on the seasonal associations of two eriophyoid species, (Nalepa 1892) with the Norway maple tree ( L.), and Manson 1984 with the common oak ( L.

Atypically Shaped Setae in Gall Mites (Acariformes, Eriophyoidea) and Mitogenomics of the Genus Keifer (Eriophyidae).

The setae in Eriophyoidea are filiform, slightly bent and thickened near the base. Confocal microscopy indicates that their proximal and distal parts differ in light reflection and autofluorescence. Approximately 50 genera have atypically shaped setae: bifurcated, angled or swollen.

Molecular Aspects of Gall Formation Induced by Mites and Insects.

Recent publications on gall formation induced on the leaves of dicotyledonous flowering plants by eriophyoid mites (Eriophyoidea) and representatives of four insect orders (Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera) are analyzed. Cellular and molecular level data on the stimuli that induce and sustain the development of both mite and insect galls, the expression of host plant genes during gallogenesis, and the effects of these galling arthropods on photosynthesis are considered. A hypothesis is proposed for the relationship between the size of galls and the volume of secretions injected by a parasite.

Where Eriophyoidea (Acariformes) Belong in the Tree of Life.

Over the past century and a half, the taxonomic placement of Eriophyoidea has been in flux. For much of this period, this group has been treated as a subtaxon within Trombidiformes. However, the vast majority of recent phylogenetic analyses, including almost all phylogenomic analyses, place this group outside Trombidiformes.

Integrative Taxonomy of the Gall Mite n. sp. (Eriophyidae) from the Disjunct Afro-Australasian Fern : Morphology, Phylogeny, and Mitogenomics.

Eriophyoidea is a group of phytoparasitic mites with poorly resolved phylogeny. Previous studies inferred Eriophyidae s.l.

Anatomy of the miniature four-legged mite Achaetocoptes quercifolii (Arachnida: Acariformes: Eriophyoidea).

Miniaturization is one of the important trends in the evolution of terrestrial arthropods. In order to study adaptations to microscopic sizes, the anatomy of the smallest insects was previously studied, but not the anatomy of the smallest mites. Some of the smallest mites are Eriophyidae.

Vertical transmission and seasonal dimorphism of eriophyoid mites (Acariformes, Eriophyoidea) parasitic on the Norway maple: a case study.

Eriophyoid mites are highly host-specific, microscopic phytoparasites that primarily disperse to new hosts passively via wind. This seems paradoxical, as the likelihood of landing on an appropriate host species needed to survive appears low. Here we investigate two eriophyoids found on the Norway maple : and .

Symbiotic bacteria of the gall-inducing mite Fragariocoptes setiger (Eriophyoidea) and phylogenomic resolution of the eriophyoid position among Acari.

Eriophyoid mites represent a hyperdiverse, phytophagous lineage with an unclear phylogenetic position. These mites have succeeded in colonizing nearly every seed plant species, and this evolutionary success was in part due to the mites' ability to induce galls in plants. A gall is a unique niche that provides the inducer of this modification with vital resources.

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.

Molecular phylogeny of the phytoparasitic mite family Phytoptidae (Acariformes: Eriophyoidea) identified the female genitalic anatomy as a major macroevolutionary factor and revealed multiple origins of gall induction.

Phytoptidae s.str. is a lineage of eriophyoid mites associated with angiosperms.

Molecular phylogenetic analyses reveal a deep dichotomy in the conifer-inhabiting genus Trisetacus (Eriophyoidea: Nalepellidae), with the two lineages differing in their female genital morphology and host associations.

We analyzed the phylogenetic relationships of the genus Trisetacus using two genes [cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and D1-D2 region of 28S rDNA (D1-D2 28S)], a representive taxon sampling (nearly 40% of known diversity), and a large set of close and distant outgroups. Our analyses suggest the presence of a dichotomy between Trisetacus associated with Cupressaceae and Pinaceae. The following smaller molecular clades were found: Pin-1 (bud mites, twig sheath mites, bark gall mites, and endoparasitic mites from pinaceans), Pin-2 (needle sheath mites from pines), Pin-2a (putative Nearctic group of needle sheath mites), Pin-2b (putative Palearctic group of needle sheath mites), Cup-1 and 2 (bud, cone, seed mites and mites living under bark scales from cupressaceans).

Comprehensive phylogeny of acariform mites (Acariformes) provides insights on the origin of the four-legged mites (Eriophyoidea), a long branch.

Eriophyoid, or four-legged mites, represent a large and ancient radiation of exclusively phytophagous organisms known from the Triassic (230 Mya). Hypothesizing phylogenetic relatedness of Eriophyoidea among mites is a major challenge due to the absence of unambiguous morphological synapomorphies, resulting in ten published hypotheses placing eriophyoids in various places in the acariform tree of life. Here we test the evolutionary relationships of eriophyoids using six genes and a representative taxonomic sampling of acariform mites.

Suboral fork: a newly discerned gnathosomal structure from the proboscis of eriophyoid mites (Acari, Eriophyoidea).

The infracapitulum of eriophyoid mites comprises a cone-like basal infracapitulum, containing a pharynx, and a distal infracapitulum, forming a proboscis ensheathing a bunch of stylets. A well-developed basal labral section was observed in all studied specimens. A newly discerned structure, the suboral fork, situated in the ventral part of the proboscis was discovered.

Description of a new early-derivative mite, Pentasetacus plicatus n. sp. (Acariformes, Eriophyoidea), and remarks on the systematic position of pentasetacines.

A new vagrant early-derivative eriophyoid mite species Pentasetacus plicatus n. sp. (GeneBank accession number KT070291) is described from Araucaria araucana (Molina) K.

Generic delimitation between Fragariocoptes and Sierraphytoptus (Acari: Eriophyoidea: Phytoptidae) and a supplementary description of Fragariocoptes gansuensis with remarks on searching for mummified eriophyoid mites in herbaria under UV light.

Generic concepts of Fragariocoptes Roivainen, 1951 and Sierraphytoptus Keifer, 1939 are discussed and the correct delimitation between these two genera is given. A supplementary description of Fragariocoptes gansuensis Wei, Chen & Luo, 2005 is included based on fresh specimens from Astrakhan, Russia and dried mummies found in old herbaria collected in 1919 from southern European Russia of the cinquefoil, Potentilla bifurca L. (Rosaceae) with pathological stem proliferation.

New species and records of phytoptid mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea: Phytoptidae) on sedges (Cyperaceae) from the Russian Far East.

Two new phytoptine species, Oziella virgata n. sp. and O.

Eriocaenus (Acari: Trombidiformes: Eriophyoidea), a new genus from Equisetum spp. (Equisetaceae): morphological and molecular delimitation of two morphologically similar species.

Surveys conducted on horsetails, Equisetum spp. (Equisetaceae), in Serbia led to the discovery of a new eriophyoid mite genus while searching for a classical biological control agent against these weeds in New Zealand. Eriocaenus gen.

Hidden diversity of endoparasitic eriophyoid mites: two new Novophytoptus Roivainen, 1947 (Acari: Eriophyoidea: Phytoptidae) species from the parenchymatous tissues of rushes (Juncaceae).

The monogeneric subfamily Novophytoptinae is a separate lineage of phytoptids restricted to endoparasitism on herbaceous monocots of the order Poales. Novophytoptines live under the epidermis of their hosts where they feed on parenchymatous cells and reproduce therein. It is unknown yet how novophytoptines penetrate the plant epidermis, but preliminary observations indicate that they might be able to penetrate through circular holes which they cut in the epidermis using their modified gnathosoma.

A study of embryonic development in eriophyoid mites (Acariformes, Eriophyoidea) with the use of the fluorochrome DAPI and confocal microscopy.

The embryonic development of four eriophyoid mite species, Cecidophyopsis ribis, Phytoptus avellanae, Oziella liroi and Loboquintus subsquamatus, has been studied with the use of fluorochrome DAPI and confocal microscopy. The first three nuclear divisions occur on the egg periphery (the groups of 2, 4, and 6 nuclei have been recorded), while the biggest part of yolk remains undivided. After four or five nuclear divisions all nuclei are situated only in one sector of the embryo, while other sectors contain only yolk suggesting possible meroblastic cleavage.

Confocal microscopy reveals uniform male reproductive anatomy in eriophyoid mites (Acariformes, Eriophyoidea) including spermatophore pump and paired vasa deferentia.

Male internal genitalia of eriophyoid mites comprise cuticle lined (anterior genital apodeme, genital chamber and ductus ejculatorius) and soft (paired vasa deferentia and single testis) organs. Three-dimensional reconstructions based on autofluorescence show that a thin-walled genital chamber is usually situated in a transverse plane and precisely copies the shape of the spermatophore. A thin vertical longitudinal plate (homologous to female longitudinal bridge) joins the genital chamber and ventral genital cuticle.

Gnathosomal interlocking apparatus and remarks on functional morphology of frontal lobes of eriophyoid mites (Acariformes, Eriophyoidea).

Comparative study of eriophyoid mite gnathosomata using different microscopic techniques shows presence of new dorsoproximal structures (here described as "interlocking apparatus"), which could consolidate mouthparts in rest (non-feeding) position and during feeding actions. Four types of the interlocking apparatus are described. Differences in the interlocking mechanisms coincide with the results of recent molecular phylogenetic studies of Eriophyoidea and provide additional support for the major clades revealed in those studies.

Confocal microscopy refines generic concept of a problematic taxon: rediagnosis of the genus Neoprothrix and remarks on female anatomy of eriophyoids (Acari: Eriophyoidea).

Due to the higher resolution, confocal microscopy (CLSM) can be applied to refine the origin of tiny structures of the autofluorescent exoskeletons of microarthropods (mites in particular) which are hard to visualize using traditional differential interference contract light microscopy (DIC LM) and phase contrast light microscopy (PC LM). Three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions of the prodorsal shield topography of eriophyoid mites using Neoprothrix hibiscus Reis and Navia as a model, suggest that the structures originally treated as paired setae vi are two internal rod-like apodemes. Based on this, the genus Neoprothrix is excluded from the subfamily Prothricinae Amrine and transferred to the subfamily Sierraphytoptinae Keifer.

CLSM anatomy of internal genitalia of Mackiella reclinata n. sp. and systematic remarks on eriophyoid mites from the tribe Mackiellini Keifer, 1946 (Eriophyoidea: Phytoptidae).

A new mackielline mite, Mackiella reclinata n. sp., from a South African indigenous palm-tree, Phoenix reclinata, is described in detail using different microscopy techniques.