Family CANESTRINIIDAE Berlese, 1884

Museums

Regional Maps

• Canestriniidae Berlese, A. 1884. La sistematica dei Sarcoptidi. Bollettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 16: 287-292.
• Canestrinidae Berlese, A. 1884. La sistematica dei Sarcoptidi. Bollettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 16: 287-292 [original spelling].

Introduction

Canestriniidae is a large family, including about 300 species in 95 genera (OConnor 2009). All life cycle stages occur on beetles, but they do not appear to be parasitic. They are often found under the elytra of their hosts, and species vary widely in their degree of host specificity. Only nine species in six genera are known from Australia, and all nine of those species were described after 1980. It is very likely that a large fauna remains undiscovered, under the elytra of Carabidae, Passalidae, Tenebrionidae, Scarabaeidae and Lucanidae. In addition to the species listed here, unidentified species of Australian Canestriniidae have been recorded by Seeman & Nahrung (2000).

General References

OConnor, B.M. 2009. Cohort Astigmatina. pp. 565–657 in Krantz, G.W. & Walter, D.E. (eds). A Manual of Acarology. Lubbock, Texas : Texas Tech University Press Third edition, 807 pp.

Seeman, O.D. & Nahrung, H.F. 2000. Mites as fungal vectors? The ectoparasitic fungi of mites and their arthropod associates in Queensland. Australasian Mycologist 19: 3-9

History of changes