Family CUNAXIDAE Thor, 1902
Introduction
The Australian fauna of Cunaxidae has never been studied systematically. Only five species have been identified, and two genera are known only from unidentified species. All members of the family are predators, which occur in soil, leaf litter, grass, and moss, where they feed on other microinvertebrates. They capture their prey using raptorial palps, which usually carry heavy terminal spurs (Walter et al. 2009). Some species may be beneficial, contributing to the control of pest nematodes and scale insects (Gerson et al. 2003).
Unidentified species have been recorded from Australia a number of times as listed for each genus, and unidentified Cunaxidae were also reported by Wood (1971), Springett (1976), O'Dowd (1994), Longstaff et al. (1999), Walter (1999), Osler et al. (2000), Callan et al. (2011), Beyer et al. (2011), Proctor et al. (2011) and Majer et al. (2013).
Halliday (1998) wrongly recorded Neocunaxoides latisetosus (Den Heyer, 1980) from Australia. This species is known only from Africa. Cunaxa lukoschusi Smiley 1992 was described from "Bukit Fraser, Australia". This appears to be a labelling error, which should read "Bukit Fraser, Malaysia".
Excluded Taxa
- Misidentifications
Cunaxidae: Cunaxa lukoschusi Smiley, 1992 — Smiley, R.L. 1992. The Predatory Mite Family Cunaxidae (Acari) of the World With a New Classification. West Bloomfield, Michigan : Indira Publishing 356 pp.
Cunaxidae: Neocunaxoides latisetosus (Den Heyer, 1980) — Den Heyer, 1980. Scutopalus, a new cunaxid genus from the Ethiopian Region (Prostigmata: Acari). Acarologia 21: 187-193
General References
Callan, S.K., Majer, J.D., Edwards, K. & Moro, D. 2011. Documenting the terrestrial invertebrate fauna of Barrow Island, Western Australia. Australian Journal of Entomology 50: 323–343
Den Heyer, 1980. Scutopalus, a new cunaxid genus from the Ethiopian Region (Prostigmata: Acari). Acarologia 21: 187-193
Majer, J.D., Callan, S.K., Edwards, K., Gunawardene, N.R. & Taylor, C.K. 2013. Baseline survey of the terrestrial invertebrate fauna of Barrow Island. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 83: 13-112.
O'Dowd, D.J. 1994. Mite association with the leaf domatia of coffee (Coffea arabica) in north Queensland, Australia. Bulletin of Entomological Research 84: 361-366
Osler, G.H.R., van Vliet, P.C.J., Gauci, C.S. & Abbott, L.K. 2000. Changes in free living soil nematode and micro-arthropod communities under a canola-wheat-lupin rotation in Western Australia. Australian Journal of Soil Research 38: 47–59
Proctor, H., Kanowski, J., Catterall, C.P., Wardell-Johnson, G. & Reis, T. 2011. Rainforest-restoration success as judged by assemblages of soil- and litter-dwelling mites (Arachnida: Acari). Zoosymposia 6: 234–254
Springett, J.A. 1976. The effect of planting Pinus pinaster Ait. on populations of soil microarthropods and on litter decomposition at Gnangara, Western Australia. Australian Journal of Ecology 1: 83-87
Walter, D.E. 1999. Cryptic inhabitants of a noxious weed: Mites (Arachnida: Acari) on Lantana camara L. invading forests in Queensland. Australian Journal of Entomology 38: 197-200
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.
Wood, T.G. 1971. The distribution and abundance of Folsomides deserticola (Collembola: Isotomidae) and other micro-arthropods in arid and semi-arid soils in southern Australia, with a note on nematode populations. Pedobiologia 11: 446-468
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05-Dec-2019 | Acari | 20-Sep-2021 | MODIFIED | Dr Bruce Halliday |
| 01-May-2017 | Acari | 20-Sep-2021 | MODIFIED | Dr Bruce Halliday |
| 07-May-2013 | 20-Sep-2021 | MODIFIED | ||
| 29-Jul-2010 | 29-Jul-2010 | MOVED | ||
| 07-May-2013 | 09-Jul-2010 | ADDED | ||
| 08-Jul-2010 | MODIFIED |