Interesting mite species for study

Some clever mites to note in your introduction on the study of mites, but remember that the house dust mite may be the smartest of all, because it changed from being a parasite to becoming a scavenger.

1. Name: Acarapis woodii (Tarsonemidae)
   Home: in the throat of honey bees
   Occupation: parasitic on host
   Source: Sammataro & Needham 1996
2. Name: Antennequesoma (Trachyuropodidae)
   Home: On the terminal antennal segments of army ants
   Occupation: Steals food
   Source: Krantz 1978
3. Name: Cheyletidae - various genera
   Home: In the feather shafts of birds
   Occupation: Preys on parasitic mites inside feather
   Source: Atyeo et al. 1984
4. Name: Cloacaridae
   Home: Lives in the rectum of turtles
   Occupation: parasitic on host blood & mucosal tissue
   Source: Camin et al. 1967
5. Name: Coreitarsonemus (Tarsonemidae)
   Home: In the 'stink' glands of bugs - insects with heads (Hemiptera)
   Occupation: parasitic?
   Source: Krantz 1978
6. Name: Demodex folliculorum D.Brevis (Demodicidae)
   Home: in human facial pores, eyelash & eyebrow
   Occupation: parasite, causing pimples or dermatitis occasionally
   Source: Krantz 1978
7. Name: Dicrocheles (Dermanyssidae)
   Home: in the ears of noctuid moths
   Occupation: feeds on haemolymph, but avoids deafening the moth by living in one ear only. This is so the moth can hear bats and avoid being eaten along with the mite.
   Source: Treat 1975
8. Name: Enterohalacarus minutipalpis (Halacaridae)
   Home: in the digestive system of sea urchins
   Occupation: parasitic?
   Source: Bartsch 1987
9. Name: Entonyssinae (Laelapidae)
   Home: in the lungs of snakes
   Occupation: parasitic
   Source: Domrow 1987
10. Name: Gastronyssus bakeri (Gastronyssidae)
    Home: in the stomach lining of fruit eating bats
    Occupation: parasitic
    Source: Fain & Hyland 1985
11. Name: Hypodectes propus (Hypoderidae)
    Home: in the fat under the skin of pigeons
    Occupation: parasitically 'absorbs' nutrients from fat, this mite has evolved without a mouth
    Source: Fain 1969
12. Name: Kennethiella trisetosa (Winterschmidtiidae)
    Home: in the acarinara (mite pockets) of wasps
    Occupation: a sexually transmitted parasites of wasp larvae
    Source: Cowan 1985
13. Name: Larvamima (Larvamimidae)
    Home: in the brood chambers of army ants,
    Occupation: mimics ant larvae and may prey on larvae when ants are not looking
    Source: Elzinga 1993
14. Name: Macrocheles lukoschusi (Macrochelidae)
    Home: Near the anus of sloths
    Occupation: Feeds on the sloth's parasitic worms associated with dung or rectum (hypothesized)
    Source: Kratz 1983
15. Name: Macrocheles rettenmeyeri (Macrochelidae)
    Home: Attached to the front or end of army ant feet
    Occupation: parasitic on ant's blood, but careful not to interfere with the working of the foot by helping to function as part of the foot
    Source: Gotwald 1996
16. Name: Opsonyssus (Gastronyssidae)
    Home: On the eyeballs of fruit bats
    Occupation: parasitic
    Source: Fain 1969
17. Name: Orthohalarachne (Halarachnidae)
    Home: In the nasal passages and lungs of seals
    Occupation: Parasitic on blood and mucosal tissue of hosts
    Source: Kim 1985
18. Name: Paraspinturnix globosus (Spinturnicidae)
    Home: Inside the anus of hibernating Myotis bats
    Occupation: Parasitic or just overwintering
    Source: Radovsky 1985
19. Name: Rhinoseius (Ascidae)
    Home : In the nostrils of hummingbirds
    Occupation : use the birds as transport between flowers, their true sources of food
    Source : Colwell & Naeem 1994