Family WINTERSCHMIDTIIDAE Oudemans, 1923

Museums

Regional Maps

• Winterschmidtiidae Oudemans, A.C. 1923. Acarologische aanteekeningen. LXXIII. Entomologische Berichten (Amsterdam) 6(133): 201-208.
• Saproglyphidae Oudemans, A.C. 1924. Acarologische aanteekeningen. LXXVI. Entomologische Berichten (Amsterdam) 6(139): 300-310.
• Pontoppidaniidae Oudemans, A.C. 1927. Acarologische aanteekeningen. LXXXVI. Entomologische Berichten (Amsterdam) 7(157): 242-248 [sic, should be LXXXVII].

Introduction

The Australian Winterschmidtiidae are poorly known, with only six described species in four genera, and a record of an unidentified species in a fifth genus. Unidentified species have been recorded from Australia a number of times as listed for each genus, and unidentified Winterschmidtiidae were also reported by Walter et al. (2002) and OConnor (1988). The family includes 25 genera and 138 species world-wide (OConnor 2009). They are ecologically diverse, with species occurring in decaying wood, fungi, bark beetle galleries, dung, carrion, and the nests of vertebrates. Many species are found in the nests of Hymenoptera, and are phoretic on wasps and bees. Two Australian species in the genus Psylloglyphus are phoretic on fleas.

General References

OConnor, B.M. 1988. Coevolution in astigmatid mite-bee associations. pp. 339-346 in Needham, G.R., Page, R.E., Delfinado-Baker, M. & Bowman, C.E (eds). Africanized Honey Bees and Bee Mites. Chichester : Ellis Horwood.

OConnor, B.M. 2009. Cohort Astigmatina. pp. 565–657 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., Beard, J.J., Walker, K.L. & Sparks, K. 2002. Of mites and bees: A review of mite-bee associations in Australia and a revision of Raymentia Womersley (Acari: Mesostigmata: Laelapidae), with the description of two new species of mites from Lasioglossum (Paraspechodes) spp. (Hymenoptera: Halictidae). Australian Journal of Entomology 41: 128-148

History of changes