Family MACROCHELIDAE Vitzthum, 1930
Introduction
The Macrochelidae is a cosmopolitan family of about 400 species in 15 genera (Lindquist et al. 2009). They occur in all forms of decomposing organic material, where they feed on nematodes and the eggs and larvae of insects. Many species breed in dung, and these are often phoretic on dung beetles, while other species occur in the nests of birds and mammals, under bark, and in the nests of social insects. Some species are beneficial predators of pest flies that breed in dung and compost, and one species was deliberately introduced into Australia to contribute to the control of buffalo fly (Wallace & Holm 1983). The biology and systematics of the family were summarised by Krantz (1998). The Australian fauna includes 58 species in four genera, almost all of them in the large genus Macrocheles (Halliday 2000). Unidentified species have been recorded from Australia a number of times as listed for each genus, and unidentified Macrochelidae were also reported by Greenslade (1985), Callan et al. (2011), Proctor et al. (2011) and Majer et al. (2013).
Several species have been incorrectly recorded from Australia. Womersley (1942) reported Nothrholaslpsi montivagus Berlese, 1887 from Australia, but the identification of those specimens has since been corrected to Glyptholaspis americana Berlese, 1888 (Halliday, 1986). Halliday (1988) reported Holostaspella exornata Filipponi & Pegazzano, 1967 from Australia, but the identification of those specimens has since been corrected to Holostaspella pulchella Mašán, 2003 (Plumari, 2010). Macrocheles hyatti was described by Krantz & Filipponi (1964), from a locality that was thought to be in Australia. This record has been shown to be in error, for a species that is known only from New Zealand (see Halliday 2000). Ridsdill-Smith & Hall (1984) recorded Holostaspella sculpta (Berlese) from Australia, but this was misidentification of Macrocheles mykytowyczi Womersely. Hagstrum et al. (2013, page 552) recorded Macrocheles matrius Hull from Australia. That record was an error, which should have read Austria (Hagstrum, personal communication, 2016).
Excluded Taxa
- Misidentifications
Macrochelidae: Holostaspella exornata Filipponi & Pegazzano, 1967 — Halliday, R.B. 1988. The genus Holostaspella Berlese (Acarina : Macrochelidae) in Australia. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 27: 149-155
Macrochelidae: Holostaspella sculpta (Berlese, 1903) — Berlese, A. 1903. Acari nuovi. Manipulus I.us. Redia. Giornale di entomologia, Firenze 1: 235-252
Macrochelidae: Macrocheles hyatti Krantz & Filipponi, 1964 — Krantz, G.W. & Filipponi, A. 1964. Acari della famiglia Macrochelidae (Mesostigmata) nella collezione del South Australian Museum. Rivista di Parasitologia 25: 35-54
MACROCHELIDAE: Macrocheles matrius Hull, 1925 — Hull, J.E. 1925. Acari of the family Gamasidae: new and rare British species. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 9 15: 201-219 + Plates XVI-XIX.
Macrochelidae: Nothrholaspis montivagus Berlese, 1887 — Berlese, A. 1887. Acari, Myriopoda et Scorpiones hucusque in Italia reperta 44. 14 text pages + Plates 1-10. Reprint by Junk, The Hague, 1979.
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
Greenslade, P. 1985. Terrestrial invertebrates of the mound spring bores, creek beds and other habitats. pp. 64-77 in Greenslade, J., Joseph, L. & Reeves, A. (eds). South Australia's Mound Springs. Adelaide : Nature Conservation Society of South Australia.
Halliday, R.B. 1986. Mites of the genus Glyptholaspis Filipponi and Pegazzano (Acarina: Macrochelidae) in Australia. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 25: 71-74
Halliday, R.B. 1988. The genus Holostaspella Berlese (Acarina : Macrochelidae) in Australia. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 27: 149-155
Halliday, R.B. 2000. The Australian species of Macrocheles (Acarina: Macrochelidae). Invertebrate Taxonomy 14: 273-326
Krantz, G.W. 1998. Reflections on the biology, morphology and ecology of the Macrochelidae. Experimental and Applied Acarology 22: 125–137
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.
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.
Plumari, M. 2010. New records of macrochelid mites from Italy (Acari: Mesostigmata: Macrochelidae). Systematic and Applied Acarology 15: 197–221
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
Ridsdill-Smith, T.J. & Hall, G.P. 1984. Beetles and mites attracted to fresh cattle dung in southwestern Australian pastures. CSIRO Division of Entomology Report 34: 1-29
Wallace, M.M.H. & Holm, E. 1983. Establishment and dispersal of the introduced predatory mite Macrocheles peregrinus Krantz, in Australia. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 22: 345-348
Womersley, H. 1942. Additions to the Acarina-Parasitoidea of Australia. Part I. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 66: 142-171
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 | ||
| 06-Nov-2011 | 06-Nov-2011 | MOVED | ||
| 08-Aug-2010 | 08-Aug-2010 | MOVED | ||
| 09-Jul-2010 | 09-Jul-2010 | ADDED | ||
| 08-Jul-2010 | MODIFIED |