The peacock mites of the
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
''Tuckerella'' (
the only genus of the
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 ...
family Tuckerellidae) are a significant herbivorous
pest in the
tropics
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...
, for example on
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 ...
fruit. Other species dwell in grasses, possibly as root feeders.
[
The peacock mite's name suggests that their feather-like (or leaf-like) ]seta
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, ...
eback
The human back, also called the dorsum (: dorsa), is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral c ...
s are evocative of a peacock's plumage.caudal
Caudal may refer to:
Anatomy
* Caudal (anatomical term) (from Latin ''cauda''; tail), used to describe how close something is to the trailing end of an organism
* Caudal artery, the portion of the dorsal aorta of a vertebrate that passes into th ...
setae) that have been compared to a trailing peacock tail.[ The 5–7 pairs of caudal setae can be flicked over the body very quickly,][ so they are used like whips in defense against predators.][
]
Species
* '' Tuckerella anommata'' Smith-Meyer & Ueckermann, 1997 (South Africa)
* '' Tuckerella channabasavannai'' Mallik & Kumar, 1992 (host: ''Saraca indica
''Saraca'' L. is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae (legume family) of about 20 plant species of trees native to the lands from India and Sri Lanka to Indochina, southern China Malesia, and New Guinea.
This plant can be grown ...
''; Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
)
* ''Tuckerella eloisae
The peacock mites of the genus ''Tuckerella'' ( the only genus of the mite family Tuckerellidae) are a significant herbivorous pest in the tropics, for example on citrus fruit. Other species dwell in grasses, possibly as root feeders.
The peaco ...
'' Servin & Otero, 1989 (host: '' Fouquieria diguetii''; Mexico)
* '' Tuckerella filipina'' Corpuz-Raros, 2001 (host: '' Hydnocarpus'' sp.: Philippines)
* '' Tuckerella hainanensis'' Lin & Fu, 1997 (host: ''Coffea arabica
''Coffea arabica'' (), also known as the Arabica coffee, is a species of flowering plant in the coffee and madder family Rubiaceae. It is believed to be the first species of coffee to have been cultivated and is the dominant cultivar, represe ...
''; Hainan
Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...
)Annona muricata
Soursop (also called graviola, guyabano, and in Latin America ) is the fruit of ''Annona muricata'', a broadleaf, flowering, evergreen tree. It is native to the tropical regions of the Americas and the Caribbean and is widely propagated. It ...
''; Jianfengling, Hainan)type species
In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
* '' Tuckerella xiamenensis'' Lin, 1982 (host: ''Manilkara zapota
''Manilkara zapota'', commonly known as sapodilla (), sapote, chicozapote, chicoo, chicle, naseberry, nispero, or
soapapple, among other names, is an evergreen tree native to southern Mexico and Central America. An example natural occurrence is ...
'')
* '' Tuckerella xinglongensis'' Lin-Yanmou & Fu-Yuegua, 1997 (hosts: ''Polyscias fruticosa
''Polyscias fruticosa'', or Ming aralia, is a perennial plant, dicot evergreen shrub or dwarf tree. The plant grows fairly slowly but can reach up to 1–2 meters in height. The leaves are of a dark green pigment, glossy in texture, and are ...
'' var. ''plumata'' and ''Camellia sinensis
''Camellia sinensis'' is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree in the flowering plant family Theaceae. Its leaves, leaf buds, and stems can be used to produce tea. Common names include tea plant, tea shrub, and tea tree (unrelated to ''Me ...
''; Hainan)Tuckerella fossilibus
The peacock mites of the genus ''Tuckerella'' (monotypic family, the only genus of the mite family Tuckerellidae) are a significant herbivorous pest (organism), pest in the tropics, for example on citrus fruit. Other species dwell in grasses, pos ...
'' Khaustov, Sergeyenko & Perkovsky 2014 (Rovno amber
Rovno amber, occasionally called Ukrainian amber, is amber found in the Rivne Oblast and surrounding regions of Ukraine and Belarus. The amber is dated between Late Eocene and Early Oligocene, and suggested to be contemporaneous to Baltic amber ...
)
* †'' Tuckerella weiterschani'' Sidorchuk & Khaustov, 2018 (Baltic amber
Baltic amber or succinite is amber from the Baltic region, home of its largest known deposits. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that this forested region provided the re ...
)
References
External links
*
Trombidiformes
Agricultural pest mites
Arachnids of Africa
{{Agriculture-stub