Prostigmata is a suborder 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 belonging to the order

Trombidiformes Trombidiformes is a large, diverse order of mites. Taxonomy In 1998, Trombidiformes was divided into the Sphaerolichida and the Prostigmata. The group has few synapomorphies by which it can be defined, unlike the other major group of acariform ...

, which contains the "sucking" members of the "true mites" (

Acariformes The Acariformes, also known as the Actinotrichida, are the more diverse of the two superorders of mites. Over 32,000 described species are found in 351 families, with an estimated total of 440,000 to 929,000 species, including undescribed speci ...

). Many

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

are notorious pests on

plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...

s. Well-known examples of prostigmatan plant

parasite Parasitism is a Symbiosis, close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the Host (biology), host, causing it some harm, and is Adaptation, adapted str ...

s are species of the gall mites (

Eriophyidae Eriophyidae is a family of more than 200 genera of mites, which live as plant parasites, commonly causing galls or other damage to the plant tissues and hence known as gall mites. About 3,600 species have been described, but this is probably l ...

, e.g. the redberry mite '' Acalitus essigi''),

Tarsonemidae Tarsonemidae is a family of mites, also called thread-footed mites or white mites. Only a limited number of tarsonemid genera ('' Steneotarsonemus'', '' Polyphagotarsonemus'', '' Phytonemus'', '' Floridotarsonemus'' and '' Tarsonemus'') are know ...

(e.g. the cyclamen mite, '' Steneotarsonemus pallidus''), and the spider mites of the Tetranychidae (e.g. the two-spotted spider mite, '' Tetranychus urticae''). Other Prostigmata live as parasites on

vertebrate Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...

s (e.g. ''

Demodex ''Demodex'' is a genus of tiny mites that live in or near hair follicles of mammals. Around 65 species of ''Demodex'' are known. Two species live on humans: ''Demodex folliculorum'' and ''Demodex brevis'', both frequently referred to as eyelash ...

'' mites of the

Demodecidae Demodecidae is a family of parasitic and commensal mites, living on various species of mammals. Each species of mite is usually only found on a single mammal species, whereas a mammal species can have several different species of demodecid mites ...

) or

invertebrate Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''spine'' or ''backbone''), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordata, chordate s ...

s (e.g. ''

Polydiscia deuterosminthurus ''Polydiscia deuterosminthurus'' is a species of mite recently discovered in the autonomous community of Navarre in Spain. Only the six-legged larval stage is so far known. This lives as a parasite on the springtail '' Deuterosminthurus bisetosu ...

'' of the

Tanaupodidae Tanaupodidae is a family of mites belonging to the order Trombidiformes Trombidiformes is a large, diverse order of mites. Taxonomy In 1998, Trombidiformes was divided into the Sphaerolichida and the Prostigmata. The group has few synapomorp ...

or the honeybee tracheal mite, ''

Acarapis woodi ''Acarapis woodi'' is an internal parasite affecting honey bees, the symptoms of infestation were originally observed on the Isle of Wight in 1904, but was not described until 1921. ''Acarapis woodi'' mites live and reproduce in the tracheae o ...

'', of the Tarsonemidae). There are also some forms (e.g.

Smarididae Smarididae is a family of mites belonging to the order Trombidiformes. These large predatory mites have long oval bodies, distinctively pointed in front. They are usually red and densely hairy with slender legs, sometimes very long. They have e ...

) that are

predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

s of small invertebrates – including smaller Prostigmata – yet others have a more varied lifestyle (e.g. Tydeidae) or switch their food sources as they mature (e.g.

Erythraeidae Erythraeidae is a family of mites belonging to the Trombidiformes. Larval forms of these mites are parasitic on various other arthropods, for example harvestmen, but the adults are free-living predators. These oval mites are rather large, usually ...

). The suborder also includes the family

Halacaridae Halacaridae is a family of meiobenthic mites found in marine, brackish, and freshwater habitats around the world. It includes more than 1100 described species belonging to 64 genera It is the largest marine radiation of arachnids. Description ...

(marine mites). Some of the Prostigmata parasitizing vertebrates are of medical relevance due to causing skin diseases in humans. These include for example

harvest mite Trombiculidae (), commonly referred to in North America as chiggers and in Britain as harvest mites, but also known as berry bugs, bush-mites, red bugs or scrub-itch mites, are a family of mites. Chiggers are often confused with Tunga penetrans ...

s ("chiggers") of the

Trombiculidae Trombiculidae (), commonly referred to in North America as chiggers and in Britain as harvest mites, but also known as berry bugs, bush-mites, red bugs or scrub-itch mites, are a family of mites. Chiggers are often confused with jiggers – a ...

Description

Prostigmata are usually 0.1–2 mm long, though some giant red velvet mites can reach 16 mm. They have a range of different body forms and colours. As mites, most of them have eight legs (six in their larval stage). However, the

Eriophyoidea Eriophyoidea are a superfamily of herbivore, herbivorous mites. All post-embryonic instars lack the third and fourth pairs of legs, and the respiratory system is also absent. The taxonomy of this group has always been confused. There were famili ...

instead have four legs, all positioned at the front of a long, worm-like body. The name "Prostigmata" comes from mites of this group having spiracles (stigmata) on the prodorsum, usually between the chelicerae or on its lateral margins.

Habitat

Many prostigmatans live in soil. These occur in soils as varied as agricultural fields, burned

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

s, tidal marshlands, drained lake beds with

algal bloom An algal bloom or algae bloom is a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in fresh water or marine water systems. It is often recognized by the discoloration in the water from the algae's pigments. The term ''algae'' encompass ...

s, and

Antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

soils. Other prostigmatans are aquatic. The group includes Hydrachnidia, commonly known as the water mites. Hydrachnidia live in many kinds of freshwater habitats, including lentic (e.g. lakes, ponds), lotic (e.g. rivers, streams), springs and interstitial waters. Also in the Prostigmata are family Halacaridae, which are mostly marine. Other habitats of Prostigmata include caves, algae, mosses, lichens, shrubs and trees.

Diet

Prostigmata have a wide range of diets, including species that are

predators Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...

herbivore A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat ...

fungivore Fungivory or mycophagy is the process of organisms consuming fungi. Many different organisms have been recorded to gain their energy from consuming fungi, including birds, mammals, insects, plants, amoebas, gastropods, nematodes, bacteria and othe ...

microbivores Microbivory (adj. microbivorous, microbivore) is a feeding behavior consisting of eating microbes (especially bacteria) practiced by animals of the mesofauna, microfauna and meiofauna. Microbivorous animals include some soil nematodes, springta ...

and

parasites Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The en ...

. Among the soil-dwelling Prostigmata, the smaller predatory species have

nematode The nematodes ( or ; ; ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. Species in the phylum inhabit a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but many are parasitic. Parasitic worms (h ...

s as an important part of their diet. They may also feed occasionally on fungi, piercing fungal

hypha A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one o ...

e using stylet chelicerae. Larger predatory species, such as members of

Bdelloidea Bdelloidea (from Greek language, Greek βδέλλα, ''bdella'' 'leech') is a Class (biology), class of rotifers found in freshwater habitats all over the world. There are over 450 described species of bdelloid rotifers (or 'bdelloids'), disti ...

and Trombidoidea, feed on other arthropods or their eggs.

Systematics and taxonomy

The Prostigmata make up the bulk of the acariform

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

, which also contains the minor and quite ancient lineage

Sphaerolichida The Sphaerolichida is a suborder of mites belonging to the order Trombidiformes Trombidiformes is a large, diverse order of mites. Taxonomy In 1998, Trombidiformes was divided into the Sphaerolichida and the Prostigmata. The group has few sy ...

. The trombidiform mites are possibly the most promising approach to untangle the

systematics Systematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: phylogenetic trees, phylogenies). Phy ...

taxonomy image:Hierarchical clustering diagram.png, 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme o ...

and

phylogeny A phylogenetic tree or phylogeny is a graphical representation which shows the evolutionary history between a set of species or Taxon, taxa during a specific time.Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, M ...

of the notoriously complex Acariformes. Trombidiformes and the other acariform clade,

Sarcoptiformes The Sarcoptiformes are an order (biology), order of mites comprising over 15,000 described species in around 230 families. Previously it was divided into two suborders, Oribatida and Astigmatina, but Oribatida has been promoted to an order, and A ...

, were formerly considered

suborder Order () is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and recognized ...

s but this does not allow for a sufficiently precise classification of the mites and is adjusted in more modern treatments. They contain a few of the little-known "

Endeostigmata Endeostigmata is a suborder of acariform mites. There are about ten families in Endeostigmata. The grouping is strongly suspected to be paraphyletic, containing unrelated early diverging lineages of mites. Taxonomy Source: * Suborder Endeostigm ...

" – apparently an assemblage of several specialized but only distantly related lineages – which for the most part appear to be Sarcoptiformes. In addition, the Trombidiformes include the bulk of the presumed group of mites called "Actinedida". This

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

is still commonly encountered in systematic treatments. However, modern

cladistic Cladistics ( ; from Ancient Greek 'branch') is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups ("clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is ...

studies time and again fail to find any

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

group corresponding to the "Actinedida". Thus, they appear to be an

evolutionary grade A grade is a taxon united by a level of morphological or physiological complexity. The term was coined by British biologist Julian Huxley, to contrast with clade, a strictly phylogenetic unit. Phylogenetics The concept of evolutionary grades ...

rather than an evolutionary lineage, united not by their

apomorph In phylogenetics, an apomorphy (or derived trait) is a novel character or character state that has evolved from its ancestral form (or plesiomorphy). A synapomorphy is an apomorphy shared by two or more taxa and is therefore hypothesized to ha ...

ies but by the lack of such characters that have evolved after the Acariformes separated from the

Parasitiformes Parasitiformes are a superorder of Arachnids, constituting one of the two major groups of mites, alongside Acariformes. Parasitiformes has, at times, been classified at the rank of order or suborder. It is uncertain whether Parasitiformes and Ac ...

. Thus, the "Actinedida" seem to be a massively

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

wastebin taxon Wastebasket taxon (also called a wastebin taxon, dustbin taxon or catch-all taxon) is a term used by some taxonomists to refer to a taxon that has the purpose of classifying organisms that do not fit anywhere else. They are typically defined by e ...

", uniting all Acariformes that are not "typical"

Oribatida Oribatida (formerly Cryptostigmata), also known as oribatid mites, moss mites or beetle mites, are an order of mites, in the "chewing Acariformes" clade Sarcoptiformes. They range in size from . There are currently 12,000 species that have been i ...

and

Astigmata Astigmatina is a clade of mites in the order Sarcoptiformes. Astigmata has been ranked as an order or suborder in the past, but was lowered to the unranked clade Astigmatina of the clade Desmonomatides (synonym Desmonomata) in the order. Astigm ...

. The Prostigmata present their own taxonomic and systematic problems even in the redefined

delimitation Electoral boundary delimitation (or simply boundary delimitation or delimitation) is the drawing of boundaries of electoral precincts and related divisions involved in elections, such as Federated state, states, counties or other municipalities ...

. They are variously subdivided into the

Anystina Prostigmata is a suborder of mites belonging to the order Trombidiformes, which contains the "sucking" members of the "true mites" (Acariformes). Many species are notorious pests on plants. Well-known examples of prostigmatan plant parasites a ...

and

Eleutherengona Prostigmata is a suborder of mites belonging to the order Trombidiformes, which contains the "sucking" members of the "true mites" (Acariformes). Many species are notorious pests on plants. Well-known examples of prostigmatan plant parasites a ...

, and

Eupodina Prostigmata is a suborder of mites belonging to the order Trombidiformes, which contains the "sucking" members of the "true mites" (Acariformes). Many species are notorious pests on plants. Well-known examples of prostigmatan plant parasites a ...

. The delimitation and interrelationships of these groups are entirely unclear; while most analyses find one of the latter two but not the other to be a subgroup of the Anystina, neither of these mutually contradicting hypotheses is very robust; possibly this is a simple error because phylogenetic software usually fails in handling non-

dichotomous A dichotomy () is a partition of a set, partition of a whole (or a set) into two parts (subsets). In other words, this couple of parts must be * jointly exhaustive: everything must belong to one part or the other, and * mutually exclusive: nothi ...

phylogenies. Consequently it may be best for the time being to consider each of the three main prostigmatan lineages to be equally distinct from the other two, not including either Eleutherengona or Eupodina in the Anystina in accord with the traditional view – the

Anystina are here considered the largest possible clade containing the

Anystidae Anystidae is a family (biology), family of mites, based on the genus ''Anystis''. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, and contains "generalist predators found on a variety of habitats". References External links

* Trombidiforme ...

but no taxon assigned to the other two suborders.

Currently accepted taxonomy

Catalogue of Life The Catalogue of Life (CoL) is an online database that provides an index of known species of animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. It was created in 2001 as a partnership between the global Species 2000 and the American Integrated Taxono ...

and

Integrated Taxonomic Information System The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) is an American partnership of federal agencies designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species. ITIS was originally formed in 1996 as an interagenc ...

accept the following taxonomy for Prostigmata, including four infraorders:

Anystina

* Superfamily

Adamystoidea Adamystidae is a family of mites in the order Trombidiformes. There are at least three genera, one of which is extinct, in Adamystidae. It is the sole family in the monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that con ...

* Superfamily Allotanaupodoidea * Superfamily Amphotrombioidea * Superfamily

Anystoidea Anystoidea is a superfamily of mites in the order Trombidiformes. References Further reading

* * * Trombidiformes {{trombidiformes-stub ...

* Superfamily Arrenuroidea * Superfamily Caeculoidea * Superfamily Calyptostomatoidea * Superfamily Chyzerioidea * Superfamily Erythraeoidea * Superfamily Eylaoidea * Superfamily Hydrachnoidea * Superfamily Hydrovolzioidea * Superfamily Hydryphantoidea * Superfamily Hygrobatoidea * Superfamily Lebertioidea * Superfamily Paratydeoidea * Superfamily Pomerantzioidea * Superfamily Stygothrombioidea * Superfamily Tanaupodoidea * Superfamily Trombiculoidea * Superfamily Trombidioidea * Superfamily Yurebilloidea

Eleutherengona

(Also known as Eleutherengonides) * Superfamily Cheyletoidea * Superfamily Cloacaroidea * Superfamily Dolichocyboidea * Superfamily Heterocheyloidea * Superfamily

Myobioidea Myobiidae is a family (biology), family of mites, containing the following genera: *''Acanthophthirius'' Perkins, 1925 *''Acrobatobia'' Fain & Lukoschus, 1976 *''Amorphacarus'' Ewing, 1938 *''Anuncomyobia'' Fain, 1972 *''Australomyobia'' Fain, ...

* Superfamily Pterygosomatoidea * Superfamily Pyemotoidea * Superfamily

Raphignathoidea Raphignathoidea is a superfamily (taxonomy), superfamily of the Acari (mite) order (biology), order Trombidiformes, comprising 1087 species in 62 genera and 12 Family (biology), families. Morphology Adult Raphignathoidea are generally oval or ...

* Superfamily Scutacaroidea * Superfamily Tarsocheyloidea * Superfamily Tarsonemoidea * Superfamily Tetranychoidea * Superfamily Trochometridioidea

Eupodina

* Superfamily

Eupodoidea Eupodoidea is a superfamily of mites in the order Trombidiformes. There are about 8 families and more than 160 described species in Eupodoidea. Description Eupodoids are soft-bodied mites that are red, red and black, white or yellow in colour ...

* Superfamily Halacaroidea * Superfamily Tydeoidea

Labidostommatina

* Superfamily Labidostommatoidea: monotypic family

Labidostommatidae Labidostommatidae is a family of acariform mites. These egg-shaped free-living predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common ...

References

{{Authority control Trombidiformes Arthropod suborders