Musca
Guides
Macrocheles
Macrocheles is a genus of mites in the family Macrochelidae, containing over 80 described species. Members of this genus are primarily known for their phoretic associations with insects, particularly flies and beetles, though some species exhibit facultative or obligate parasitism. Research on Macrocheles muscaedomesticae has provided important insights into the evolutionary origins of parasitism from free-living ancestors. Species in this genus occupy diverse habitats including carrion, dung, decaying plant matter, and necrotic cacti, often following their insect hosts to these ephemeral resources.