''Blattisocius'' is a genus of
mite
Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) of two large orders, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as eac ...
s in the family
Blattisociidae
Blattisociidae is a family of mites in the order Mesostigmata.
Description
Blattisociidae are mites with the following features: dorsal shield entire or laterally incised and with 18-43 pairs of setae; female with usually more than four pairs ...
.
Description
Adult females of ''Blattisocius'' have a dorsal shield that is undivided and lacks midlateral incisions. The sternal shield either has 3 pairs of
setae
In biology, setae (; seta ; ) are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms.
Animal setae
Protostomes
Depending partly on their form and function, protostome setae may be called macrotrichia, chaetae ...
or has 2 pairs with the 3rd pair ''st3'' on partially separate platelets. Setae ''st4'' are located either on soft
cuticle
A cuticle (), or cuticula, is any of a variety of tough but flexible, non-mineral outer coverings of an organism, or parts of an organism, that provide protection. Various types of "cuticle" are non- homologous, differing in their origin, structu ...
or on the corners of the sternal shield platelets. There are no isolated metasternal plates. The epigynal shield is truncate posteriorly. The ventrianal shield ranges from subtriangular to bullet-shaped, and bears 3-4 pairs of preanal setae and 3 circumanal setae. The adanal setae are inserted anterior to the posterior margin of the
anus
In mammals, invertebrates and most fish, the anus (: anuses or ani; from Latin, 'ring' or 'circle') is the external body orifice at the ''exit'' end of the digestive tract (bowel), i.e. the opposite end from the mouth. Its function is to facil ...
. The peritrematic shield is slender, being barely wider than the stigma at the level of the
stigma. The corniculi are slender and narrowly separated. The fixed digit of the
chelicera has a filiform pilus dentilis. The tectum is convex in shape.
Ecology
''Blattisocius'' have been found on/in live plants (e.g.
roses
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...
,
citrus
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes.
''Citrus'' is nativ ...
trees,
apple
An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
trees), vegetables, stored foods, animal nests (including bee nests), live insects and insect cultures.
They are generally considered to be predators of microarthropods.
The species ''B. patagiorum'' is believed to be parasitic on
noctuid
The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. Taxonomically, they are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along w ...
moths.
Species
* ''
Blattisocius aegypticus''
Nasr, Nawar & Afifi, 1988
* ''
Blattisocius apis''
Basha & Yousef, 2001
* ''
Blattisocius apisassociae''
Chinniah & Mohanasundaram, 1995
* ''
Blattisocius capsicum''
Basha & Yousef, 2001
* ''
Blattisocius changjiangensis''
(Ma, 2006)
* ''
Blattisocius daci''
(Narayan & Ghai, 1961)
* ''
Blattisocius dentriticus''
(Berlese, 1918)
* ''
Blattisocius dolichus''
Ma, 2006
* ''
Blattisocius edentata''
(Karg, 1976)
* ''
Blattisocius everti''
Britto, Lopes & De Moraes, 2012
* ''
Blattisocius incisus''
Bhattacharyya, 1977
* ''
Blattisocius keegani''
Fox, 1947
* ''
Blattisocius mali''
(Oudemans, 1929)
* ''
Blattisocius patagiorum''
Treat, 1966
* ''
Blattisocius quadridentatus''
Haines, 1979
* ''
Blattisocius tarsalis''
(Berlese, 1918)
* ''
Blattisocius thaicocofloris''
Oliveira, Chandrapatya & De Moraes, 2015
* ''
Blattisocius urticana''
(Nesbitt, 1954)
Possibly also:
* ''
Blattisocius othreisae''
Chinniah & Mohanasundaram, 1995
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6471133
Acari genera
Mesostigmata