Family DIPLOGYNIIDAE Trägårdh, 1941

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• Diplogyniidae Trägårdh, I. 1941. Contributions towards the comparative morphology and phylogeny of the Mesostigmata. IV. On the Celaenopsidae and Euzerconidae. Entomologisk Tidskrift 62: 169-176.

Introduction

Adult mites in the family Diplogyniidae are commonly found attached to beetles, especially Passalidae, Histeridae, and Scarabaeidae. Some species have been found on bark or in leaf litter (Lindquist et al. 2009). The immature stages are found in the substrate occupied by the insects, and appear to prey on nematodes (Seeman 2007). The most recent taxonomic survey of the family is by Kazemi et al. (2008), who provided a key to the genera. The early information on the Australian fauna was reviewed by Womersley (1958). Further species have been added since that time, with the unusual host association with an earwig (Seeman 2007) and cockroaches (Seeman 2012). The Australian fauna now includes five genera and 12 species. Proctor et al. (2011) reported an unidentified species from Queensland, and Stone & Simpson (1990) recorded an unidentified species under bark in New South Wales.

General References

Kazemi, S., Klompen, H., Moraza, M.L., Kamali, K. & Saboori A. 2008. A new species of Weiseronyssus Samsinak 1962 (Acari: Mesostigmata: Diplogyniidae) from Iran, with a key for genera. Zootaxa 1824: 17–27

Lindquist, E.E., Krantz, G.W. & Walter, D.E. 2009. Order Mesostigmata. pp.124-232 in Krantz, G.W. & Walter, D.E. (eds). A Manual of Acarology. Lubbock, Texas : Texas Tech University Press Third edition, 807 pp.

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

Seeman, O.D. 2007. A new species of Paradiplogynium (Acari: Diplogyniidae) from Titanolabis colossea (Dohrn) (Dermaptera: Anisolabididae), Australia's largest earwig. Zootaxa 1386: 31-38

Seeman, O.D. 2012. Diplogyniidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) associated with Panesthia cockroaches (Blattodea: Blaberidae). Zootaxa 3163: 33–53

Stone, C. & Simpson, J.A. 1990. Species associations in Ips grandicollis galleries in Pinus taeda. New Zealand Journal of Forestry Science 20: 75-96.

Womersley, H. 1958. On some Acarina from Australia and New Guinea paraphagic upon millipedes and cockroaches, and on beetles of the family Passalidae. Part 1. The family Diplogyniidae (Mesostigmata, Trigynaspida). Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 81: 13-29

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