Family CHYZERIIDAE Womersley, 1954

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Regional Maps

• Chyzeriniini Womersley, H. 1954. On the subfamily Trombellinae Sig Thor 1935 (Acarina, Trombidiidae) with the diagnosis of the nymph of Audyana thompsoni Womersley, 1954. Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) 11: 121-128.

Introduction

Adult Chyzeriidae are large predatory mites that are found in soil and litter. Their larvae are parasites of various groups of orthopteroid insects, including grasshoppers and crickets (Walter et al. 2009), although there are records suggesting other hosts may be used on occasion (Nahrung 2002). The Australian fauna consists of 13 species in the single genus Chyzeria. The adults of these species are easily recognised by their large size, bright red colour, and the row of large finger-like processes around the dorsal surface of the body. Most of the available information on the systematics and biology of these species was reviewed by Southcott (1982), and Mayoral & Seeman (2015) added two further species.

General References

Mayoral, J.G. & Seeman, O.D. 2015. A review of larval Chyzeria Canestrini, 1897. Systematic Parasitology 90: 257-268.

Nahrung, H.F. 2002. Biological differences between mainland and Tasmanian Chrysophtharta agricola, a eucalyptus leaf beetle. Tasmanian Naturalist 124: 56–64

Southcott, R.V. 1982. Observations on Chyzeria Canestrini and some related genera (Acarina : Trombidioidea) with remarks on the classification of the superfamily and description of a pygmephorid mite phoretic on Chyzeria. Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) 18: 285-326

Walter, D.E., Lindquist, E.E., Smith, I.M., Cook, D.R. & Krantz, G.W. 2009. Order Trombidiformes. pp. 233-420 in Krantz, G.W. & Walter, D.E. (eds). A Manual of Acarology. Lubbock, Texas : Texas Tech University Press Third edition, 807 pp.

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