Lichen-dwelling
Guides
Achipteriidae
Achipteriidae is a family of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) comprising approximately 9 genera and at least 80 described species. Members of this family are primarily arboreal, with documented species inhabiting canopy lichens on coniferous trees in temperate montane forests. The family exhibits morphological diversity in lamellar structure, pteromorphic projections, and notogastral setation patterns. Some species achieve high population densities in arboreal microhabitats, suggesting significant ecological importance in forest canopy food webs.