Family OPILIOACARIDAE Redikorzev, 1937

Museums

Regional Maps

• Opilioacaridae Redikorzev, V. 1937. Eine neue Opilioacarus-Art. Zoologischer Anzeiger 118: 10-12.

Introduction

The Order Opilioacarida includes a single family with nine genera and 24 described species (Walter & Harvey 2009). They are very large mites that have been collected in litter, in caves, and under rocks in tropical and subtropical areas of North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. They ingest solid food, including pollen, fungi, and fragments of arthropods including mites and Collembola. Harvey (1996) reported two undescribed genera from northwestern Australia, and Walter & Proctor (1998) reported an unidentified species from Kakadu National Park.

General References

Harvey, M.S. 1996. Small arachnids and their value in Gondwanan biogeographic studies. pp. 155-162 in Hopper, S.D., Chappill, J.A., Harvey, M.S. & George A.S. (eds). Gondwanan Heritage: Past, Present and Future of the Western Australian Biota. Chipping Norton : Surrey Beattie & Sons.

Walter, D.E. & Harvey, M.S. 2009. Order Opilioacarida. pp. 104–106 in Krantz, G.W. & Walter, D.E. (eds). A Manual of Acarology. Lubbock, Texas : Texas Tech University Press Third edition, 807 pp.

Walter, D.E. & Proctor, H.C. 1998. Feeding behaviour and phylogeny: observations on early derivative Acari. Experimental and Applied Acarology 22: 39-50

History of changes