Marine Invertebrates Codexery

Acariformes

The most diverse superorder of mites, with ancient origins and global ecological impact.

Last updated

Acariformes

P.D. Amara · CC0

Acariformes is one of the three major divisions of the Acari, alongside Parasitiformes and Opilioacariformes.[1] Their setae contain actinochitin, which is birefringent under polarized light, a feature absent in other mites.[1] Acariform mites typically have idiosoma lengths in the 300–500 µm range.[2]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumArthropoda
  3. SubphylumChelicerata
  4. ClassArachnida

Named by Zakhvatkin, 1952

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Acariformes (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Key facts and history

The oldest acariform fossils are from the early Devonian Rhynie Chert, around 410 million years ago.[3] The Cretaceous Immensmaris chewbaccei had an idiosoma over 8 mm long and is the largest fossil acariform mite ever recorded.[3] Most Acariformes have been recovered from Mesozoic and Cenozoic ambers.[2] The superfamily Eriophyoidea, traditionally placed in Trombidiformes, are now considered basal mites in genomic analyses.[4]

Acariformes species evolved from a sexual ancestor, and sexual reproduction has been the primary mode.[5] Parthenogenetic species have arisen numerous times within Acariformes.[5] Two principal lineages, Sarcoptiformes and Trombidiformes, constitute the Acariformes.[4] The Endeostigmata, a grouping of primitive mites that is not monophyletic, was previously regarded as a separate taxon.[4]

Four ancient, species-rich clusters of Oribatida that reproduce parthenogenetically are estimated to have originated between 400 and 300 million years ago.[5]

What the cited sources add

Proctor states that trichobothria, solenidia, and eupathidia are sensory setae unique to Acariformes.[1] Proctor explains that the Endeostigmata is likely an artificial group of primitive members from both trombidiform and sarcoptiform lineages.[1] The 2018 paper by Dunlop, Frahnert, and Makol describes Immensmaris chewbaccei as the largest unequivocal fossil mite ever recorded.[2] That paper also reports that this mite belongs to Smarididae and is the largest erythraeoid mite ever discovered.[2]

The 2007 study by Saporito et al. found that oribatid mites are a major dietary source for alkaloids in poison frogs.[6][7] According to the Tree of Life Web Project entry by Heather Proctor, the alternative name Actinotrichida for Acariformes comes from the presence of actinochitin in their setae.[1]

References

  1. Heather Proctor, "Acariformes. The "mite-like" mites", Tree of Life Web Project, August 9, 1998. facts only, no text reused. tolweb.org
  2. J. A. Dunlop, K. Frahnert, and J. Makol. 2018. A giant mite in Cretaceous Burmese amber. Fossil Record 21:285-290. facts only, no text reused. fr.copernicus.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Acariformes" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Terrestrial invertebrates in the Rhynie chert ecosystem", Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2017-12-18; "Mites as fossils: forever small?", International Journal of Acarology, 2018-11-17, p. 349–359; J. A. Dunlop, K. Frahnert, and J. Makol. 2018. A giant mite in Cretaceous Burmese amber. Fossil Record 21:285-290 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Acariformes" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Heather Proctor, "Acariformes. The "mite-like" mites", Tree of Life Web Project, August 9, 1998; Arribas, "Mitochondrial Metagenomics Reveals the Ancient Origin and Phylodiversity of Soil Mites and Provides a Phylogeny of the Acari", Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2020-03-01, p. 683–694 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Acariformes" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pachl, "Repeated convergent evolution of parthenogenesis in Acariformes (Acari)", Ecology and Evolution, 2020-11-20, p. 321–337; Pachl, "Repeated convergent evolution of parthenogenesis in Acariformes (Acari)", Ecology and Evolution, 2020-11-20, p. 321–337; Pachl, "Repeated convergent evolution of parthenogenesis in Acariformes (Acari)", Ecology and Evolution, 2020-11-20, p. 321–337 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Acariformes" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Oribatid mites as a major dietary source for alkaloids in poison frogs", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2007, p. 8885–8890 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Ralph A. Saporito, "Oribatid mites as a major dietary source for alkaloids in poison frogs", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2007), doi:10.1073/pnas.0702851104. OpenAlex metadata CC0; paper not read. doi.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Acariformes (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

More in Marine Invertebrates

AnomalocarisArenicolaAscidiaceaRudistsSalpSand dollarSea appleSea cucumberSea slugSea snailSea spiderSea urchin

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

Spotted an error? Know more?

Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced

Comments

Loading…
Open in the interactive codex →