New Macrocheles species (Acari, Mesostigmata, Macrochelidae) associated with burying beetles (Silphidae, Nicrophorus) in North America

By

Knee, Wayne

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2017

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

721

Pages

Jan-32

Subjects

Acari , carrion-feeding , COI , Ecology , mite , phoresy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.721.21747

 

Abstract

Burying beetles (Silphidae, Nicrophorus) are hosts to a broad diversity of mites (Acari), including several species of Macrocheles Latreille, 1829 (Mesostigmata, Macrochelidae). The macrochelid fauna associated with silphids primarily in North America was surveyed; in total, 1659 macrochelids representing seven species were collected from 112 Nicrophorus beetles representing nine host species. Three new species of Macrocheles were discovered during the survey and described as Macrocheles willowae sp. n., M. pratum sp. n., and M. kaiju sp. n. The barcode region of cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) was amplified from the three new described species, as well as M. nataliae and M. praedafimetorum, and analysed in a small phylogeny.