''Tydeus'' is a genus of
mites belonging to the family
Tydeidae
Tydeidae is a family of acariform mites. As of 2016, it contained over 300 species in three subfamilies, though more species have been discovered since then.
These mites live in a wide range of habitats and there are predatory, fungivorous a ...
.
These are small, usually white, mites with soft bodies covered in striations and each leg terminating in two claws.
Description
''Tydeus'', like most mites, have a pair of
chelicerae, a pair of
palps and four pairs of legs. Each palp has an unmodified palptarsus lacking markedly elongated setae, and a palptibia lacking claw-like setae. The chelicerae are contiguous with each other and have stylet-like movable digits. Bothridial
setae are present on the prodorsum of the body. The
ovipore is longitudinal. The tarsi of the first leg pair end in claws.
The patterns of setae on the legs help to separate ''Tydeus'' from other genera in the family. The genu of the first leg pair has three setae while the genu of the second leg pair has two setae, and those of the third and fourth leg pairs have one seta each. Additionally, the femur of the first leg pair has three setae.
Ecology
Mites in this genus occur in various habitats including plant
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
,
moss
Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...
, nests of
vertebrate animals, barn debris and stored products. They are
omnivorous scavengers that also prey on small arthropods and eggs of arthropods.
For example, ''Tydeus caudatus'' both preys on
eriophyid mites and feeds on
downy mildew.
''Tydeus'' are themselves preyed on by
phytoseiid
The Phytoseiidae are a family of mites which feed on thrips and other mite species. They are often used as a biological control agent for managing mite pests. Because of their usefulness as biological control agents, interest in Phytoseiidae has ...
mites.
Some species occur in nests of bees, which they probably enter by walking. They have been found in nests of
Western honey bee (''Apis mellifera''),
bumble bees
"Bumble Bees" (originally called "Bumble Bee") is a song recorded by Danish- Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua. It was released as their eleventh single overall, and the third from their album ''Aquarius''. The song more closely resembled their earli ...
(''Bombus'') and
carpenter bees
Carpenter bees are species in the genus ''Xylocopa'' of the subfamily Xylocopinae. The genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera. The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant m ...
(''Xylocopa''). They are not considered harmful to bees.
Selected species
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Tydeus argutus
Tydeus (; Ancient Greek: Τυδεύς ''Tūdeus'') was an Aetolian hero in Greek mythology, belonging to the generation before the Trojan War. He was one of the Seven against Thebes, and the father of Diomedes, who is frequently known by the ...
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Tydeus bohemiensis
Tydeus (; Ancient Greek: Τυδεύς ''Tūdeus'') was an Aetolian hero in Greek mythology, belonging to the generation before the Trojan War. He was one of the Seven against Thebes, and the father of Diomedes, who is frequently known by the ...
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Tydeus brevistylus
Tydeus (; Ancient Greek: Τυδεύς ''Tūdeus'') was an Aetolian hero in Greek mythology, belonging to the generation before the Trojan War. He was one of the Seven against Thebes, and the father of Diomedes, who is frequently known by the ...
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Tydeus calabrus
Tydeus (; Ancient Greek: Τυδεύς ''Tūdeus'') was an Aetolian hero in Greek mythology, belonging to the generation before the Trojan War. He was one of the Seven against Thebes, and the father of Diomedes, who is frequently known by the ...
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Tydeus californicus''
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Tydeus caudatus
Tydeus (; Ancient Greek: Τυδεύς ''Tūdeus'') was an Aetolian hero in Greek mythology, belonging to the generation before the Trojan War. He was one of the Seven against Thebes, and the father of Diomedes, who is frequently known by the ...
''
*''
Tydeus citri
Tydeus (; Ancient Greek: Τυδεύς ''Tūdeus'') was an Aetolian hero in Greek mythology, belonging to the generation before the Trojan War. He was one of the Seven against Thebes, and the father of Diomedes, who is frequently known by the ...
''
*''
Tydeus commutabilis
Tydeus (; Ancient Greek: Τυδεύς ''Tūdeus'') was an Aetolian hero in Greek mythology, belonging to the generation before the Trojan War. He was one of the Seven against Thebes, and the father of Diomedes, who is frequently known by the ...
''
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Tydeus demeyerei''
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Tydeus dignus''
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Tydeus diversus''
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Tydeus domesticus''
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Tydeus electus''
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Tydeus eriophyes
''Tydeus eriophyes'' is a species of mite belonging to the family Tydeidae. This small oval, eyeless mite is around 300 μm in length with a soft body covered in striations. It can be distinguished from similar species by the bluntly pointed, ro ...
''
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Tydeus goetzi''
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Tydeus grabouwi''
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Tydeus halophilus''
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Tydeus heterosetus''
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Tydeus hughesae''
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Tydeus hyacinthi''
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Tydeus inclutus''
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Tydeus interruptus''
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Tydeus kochi''
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Tydeus lambi''
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Tydeus langei''
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Tydeus linarocatus''
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Tydeus lindquisti''
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Tydeus lolitae''
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Tydeus longisetosus''
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Tydeus maculatus''
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Tydeus marinus''
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Tydeus maximus''
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Tydeus munsteri
''Tydeus munsteri'' is a species of mite belonging to the family Tydeidae. This very small oval, eyeless mite is around 250 μm in length with a soft body covered in striations. It has been recorded from various plants in the vicinity of Munster ...
''
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Tydeus mutabilis''
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Tydeus octomaculatus''
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Tydeus olivaceus''
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Tydeus plumosus''
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Tydeus praeditus''
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Tydeus quadrisetosus''
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Tydeus rafalskii''
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Tydeus roseus''
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Tydeus sampsoni''
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Tydeus sarekensis''
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Tydeus spathulatus''
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Tydeus subalpinus''
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Tydeus subterraneus''
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Tydeus svalbardensis''
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Tydeus tiliae''
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Tydeus totensis''
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Tydeus viviparus''
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Tydeus xylocopae''
References
External links
New species of mites of the families Tydeidae and Labidostommidae (Acarina: Prostigmata) collected from South African plants
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tydeus (Mite)
Trombidiformes