Phoretic-mites
Guides
Ameroseiidae
Ameroseiidae is a family of mesostigmatid mites comprising approximately 12 genera and over 130 described species with worldwide distribution. Members are distinguished by a well-sclerotised, often ornamented dorsal shield bearing 27-30 pairs of setae with setae J5 always absent, reduced sternal shields, and often toothed corniculi. They occupy diverse habitats including forest litter, dead wood, flowers, animal nests, and anthropogenic structures. Unlike most mesostigmatans, they primarily consume non-animal foods such as fungi, pollen, and nectar.
Cis chinensis
Cis chinensis is a minute beetle in the family Ciidae (minute tree-fungus beetles), first described from China in 1991. It has become established as an invasive species in Europe, with confirmed populations in Switzerland and Germany. The species is primarily known as a storage pest of commercially dried fungi, but wild populations have been found living on bracket fungi growing on trees in urban environments. Adults exhibit size plasticity in response to temperature, and the species serves as host for specialized parasitoids and phoretic mites.
Eleutho stroheckeri
Eleutho stroheckeri is a species of longhorn beetle (Cerambycidae) described by Knull in 1949. It belongs to the tribe Eburiini within the subfamily Cerambycinae. The species has been documented in association with phoretic mites that occupy specialized pronotal pits, suggesting a possible mutualistic relationship.
Ips grandicollis
eastern five-spined engraver, eastern five-spined ips, southern pine engraver, fivespined engraver
Ips grandicollis is a bark beetle in the family Curculionidae, commonly known as the eastern five-spined engraver or southern pine engraver. The species is native to North America and has been introduced to Australia. It primarily colonizes Pinus species, attacking weakened, stressed, or recently felled trees rather than healthy standing timber. Males initiate gallery construction and produce aggregation pheromones to attract multiple females. The species has reached economic importance in some regions, including Jamaican pine plantations, where it can kill trees when populations aggregate on living hosts.
Lagocheirus
Lagocheirus is a genus of longhorn beetles in the subfamily Lamiinae, established by Dejean in 1835. The genus includes species that have been documented as pests of agricultural crops, particularly cassava and sugarcane. One species, Lagocheirus araneiformis, has been recorded with phoretic mites inhabiting specialized pronotal pits, suggesting a possible mutualistic relationship. The genus occurs across a broad geographic range spanning the Americas from the southern United States through Central America and the Caribbean to South America.
Nicrophorus investigator
Banded Sexton Beetle, Banded Burying Beetle
Nicrophorus investigator is a burying beetle first described by Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt in 1824. It is an obligate carrion breeder that buries small vertebrate carcasses for rearing offspring, exhibiting biparental care. Population dynamics are tightly linked to small mammal abundance, with preferred carcass sizes of 16–48 grams. The species has also been documented breeding on Pacific salmon carcasses in coastal British Columbia, where it may exhibit communal breeding on this rich, reliable resource. It serves as a host for phoretic mites that discriminate among individual male beetles.
Nicrophorus vespilloides
Lesser Vespillo Burying Beetle
Nicrophorus vespilloides is a burying beetle in the family Silphidae, characterized by its distinctive orange-yellow elytral bands and black antennae. The species exhibits facultative biparental care, with both parents cooperating to locate, bury, and prepare small vertebrate carcasses as food resources for their larvae. This species serves as a prominent model organism for studying social immunity, parental care, and the evolution of complex social behaviors in insects. It has a Holarctic distribution spanning northern Eurasia and North America, with documented associations with phoretic mites and nematodes that influence its fitness and reproduction.
Osmoderma
Typical Hermit Beetles, Hermit Beetles
Osmoderma is a genus of scarab beetles in the subfamily Cetoniinae, commonly known as hermit beetles. The genus has a Holarctic distribution, with species found across Europe, parts of Asia, and North America. Several European species, particularly O. eremita and O. barnabita, are of significant conservation concern due to habitat loss and are protected under the EU Habitats Directive. The genus is characterized by its dependence on tree hollows for larval development, making it highly vulnerable to forest management practices that remove dead wood and veteran trees.
saproxylicconservationHabitats-Directivetree-hollowsveteran-treesindicator-speciesumbrella-specieswood-mouldCetoniinaeScarabaeidaeHolarcticEuropeNorth-Americathreatened-speciesdead-woodforest-managementcitizen-sciencedetection-dogsex-situ-breedingpollardingtraditional-agricultural-landscapesmetapopulationhabitat-fragmentationold-growth-forestbroad-leaved-treesoaklimewillowbeechorchardshedgerowsurban-parkspheromone-monitoringradio-trackingphoretic-mitesScopoli-1763Le-Peletier-&-Serville-1828O.-eremitaO.-barnabitaO.-eremicolahermit-beetlePityokteines
fir engraver beetles
Pityokteines is a genus of bark beetles (Scolytinae) known as fir engraver beetles. Species in this genus are significant pests of fir trees (Abies) and other conifers in the subfamily Abietoideae. Males initiate gallery construction and produce aggregation pheromones that regulate mass attack on host trees. The genus exhibits species-specific pheromone communication systems involving ipsenol and ipsdienol, which contribute to reproductive isolation among sympatric species.
Silphidae
carrion beetles, burying beetles, large carrion beetles, sexton beetles
Silphidae is a family of beetles commonly known as carrion beetles or burying beetles, comprising approximately 183 species in two tribes: Silphini and Nicrophorini. Members feed primarily on decaying organic matter, particularly animal carcasses, with some species exhibiting specialized behaviors such as burying small carcasses and providing parental care. The family has forensic importance due to predictable colonization patterns on human remains. Silphidae are most diverse in temperate regions, with flight capability varying among species and correlated with food source type.