Family MIDEOPSIDAE Koenike, 1910

Museums

Regional Maps

• Mideopsinae Koenike, F. 1910. Ein Acarinen- insbesondere Hydracarinen-system nebst hydracarinologischen Berichtigungen. Abhandlungen Herausgegeben vom Naturwissenschaftlichen Verein zu Bremen 20: 121-164.
• Gretacaridae Viets, K.O. 1978. New water mites (Hydrachnellae : Acari) from Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 29: 77-92.

Introduction

The Mideopsidae are aquatic mites, which may be found in flowing streams as well as lakes and ponds, and in the gravel and silt in stream beds (Walter et al. 2009). The Australian fauna of 23 species is dominated by the genus Gretacarus, which is endemic to Australia and New Guinea. Unidentified species have been recorded from Australia a number of times as listed for each genus, and as reviewed by Harvey (1998). The largest single work on Australian water mites is by Cook (1986), the world fauna was catalogued by Viets (1987), and the Australian fauna was reviewed by Harvey (1998), but more described and undescribed species in this family have been recorded after 1999.

General References

Cook, D.R. 1986. Water mites from Australia. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 40: 1-568

Harvey, M.S. 1998. The Australian Water Mites. A Guide to the Families and Genera. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing 150 pp.

Viets, K.O. 1987. Die Milben des Süsswassers (Hydrachnellae und Halacaridae (Part.), Acari). 2. Katalog. Berlin : Paul Parey 1012 pp.

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.

History of changes