Family TYDEIDAE Kramer, 1877
- Tydidae Kramer, P.M. 1877. Grundzüge zur Systematik der Milben. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 43: 215-247.
Introduction
The Australian fauna of Tydeidae is very poorly known, with only five named species in two genera. Fourteen other genera are known only on the basis of unidentified species, and the fauna obviously contains many other species that have not yet been recognised. World-wide, the family includes 340 species in 30 genera (Walter et al. 2009). They are common in moss, leaf litter, soil, birds' nests and stored food, but their small size means that they are easily overlooked. They appear to be omnivorous, plant feeders, predators, or fungivores, and some have been reported as both pest or beneficial species in horticultural habitats. Unidentified Tydeidae have been reported in Australia many times, for example by Readshaw (1975), Schicha (1975, 1977a, 1977b), Lowry (1980), Heatwole et al. (1981), Noble et al. (1990, 1996a, 1996b), James & Whitney (1993), Walter et al. (1994), O'Dowd (1994), Walter (1995, 1999), Longstaff et al. (1999), Osler et al. (2000), Kinnear & Tongway (2004), Adolphson & Kinnear (2008), Callan et al. (2011), Beyer et al. (2011), Proctor et al. (2011) and Majer et al. (2013).
Da Silva et al. (2016) prepared a catalogue and key for the world species of Tydeidae, but omitted some of the Australian species. Their classification differs from that of Mondin et al. (2016), who use a much broader concept of the genus Lorryia, including Brachytydeus as a junior synonym. This difference in interpretation affects only one Australian species - Mondin et al. (2016) would place Brachytydeus australensis in the genus Lorryia, although they do not mention the species by name.
General References
Beyer, S., Kinnear, A., Hutley, L.B., McGuiness, K. & Gibb, K. 2011. Assessing the relationship between fire and grazing on soil characteristics and mite communities in a semi-arid savanna of northern Australia. Pedobiologia 54: 195–200
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
Da Silva, G.L., Metzelthin, M.H., Da Silva, O.S. & Ferla, N.J. 2016. Catalogue of the mite family Tydeidae (Acari: Prostigmata) with the world key to the species. Zootaxa 4135(1): 1-68.
James, D.G. & Whitney, J. 1993. Mite populations on grapevines in south-eastern Australia: Implications for biological control of grapevine mites (Acarina: Tenuipalpidae, Eriophyidae). Experimental and Applied Acarology 17: 259-270
Kinnear, A. & Tongway, D. 2004. Grazing impacts on soil mites of semi-arid chenopod shrublands in Western Australia. Journal of Arid Environments 56: 63–82
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.
Mondin, A.D., Nuvoloni, F.M. & Feres, R.J.F. 2016. Four new species of Lorryia (Acari: Tydeidae) associated with Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) in Brazil. Zootaxa 4158(4): 473-490
Noble, J.C., Kaliszewski, M. & Whitford, W.G. 1990. Soil Acari from burnt and unburnt mallee habitats in western New South Wales. pp. 224-225 in Noble, J.C., Joss, P.J. & Jones, G.K. (eds). The Mallee Lands: A Conservation Perspective. Melbourne : CSIRO Publications.
Noble, J.C., Tongway, D.J., Roper, M.M. & Whitford, W.G. 1996b. Fire studies in mallee (Eucalyptus spp.) communities of western New South Wales: spatial and temporal fluxes in soil chemistry and soil biology following prescribed fire. Pacific Conservation Biology 2: 398-413
Noble, J.C., Whitford, W.G. & Kaliszewski, M. 1996a. Soil and litter microarthropod populations from two contrasting ecosystems in semi-arid eastern Australia. Journal of Arid Environments 32: 329-346
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
Readshaw, J.L. 1975. The ecology of tetranychid mites in Australian orchards. Journal of Applied Ecology 12: 473-495
Schicha, E. 1975. Bionomics of Phytoseius fotheringhamiae Denmark and Schicha, 1974, (Acarina : Phytoseiidae) on apple in Australia. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Entomologie 78: 195-203
Schicha, E. 1977a. Two new species of Phytoseius Ribaga from Australia (Acarina : Phytoseiidae). Florida Entomologist 60: 123-127
Schicha, E. 1977b. Two new species of Amblyseius Berlese from Australia (Acari : Phytoseiidae). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 16: 393-396
Walter, D.E. 1995. Dancing on the head of a pin: mites in the rainforest canopy. pp. 49-53 in M.S. Harvey (ed.). Australasian Spiders and their Relatives: Papers Honouring Barbara York Main. Records of the Western Australian Museum 52(Supplement)
Walter, D.E. 1999. Living on leaves: adaptations of Australian rainforest mites. pp. 73–78 in Needham, G.R., Mitchell, R., Horn, D.J. & Welbourn, W.C. Acarology IX. Volume 2. Symposia. Columbus, Ohio : Ohio Biological Survey.
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.
Walter, D.E., O'Dowd, D. & Barnes, V. 1994. The forgotten arthropods: Foliar mites in the forest canopy. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 36: 221-226
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05-Dec-2019 | Acari | 19-Jul-2019 | MODIFIED | Dr Bruce Halliday |
| 01-May-2017 | Acari | 21-Jan-2017 | MODIFIED | Dr Bruce Halliday |
| 07-May-2013 | 07-May-2013 | MODIFIED | ||
| 29-Jul-2010 | 29-Jul-2010 | MOVED | ||
| 07-May-2013 | 09-Jul-2010 | ADDED | ||
| 08-Jul-2010 | MODIFIED |