Phoretic Mites on Dung Beetle - [Acari: Parasitidae]

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Phoretic Mites on Dung Beetle - [Acari: Parasitidae]

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Pudding4brains Really Wild Member Registered: January 2008 Location: Netherlands Posts: 1,256	Phoretic Mites (possibly Parasitus sp.,Poecilochirus sp. or Gamasus sp - one common species would be Parasitus coleoptratorum??) traveling along on a Dung Beetle. Although in the family 'Parasitidae' these mites do not (primarily?) leach on the beetle but just hitch a ride to the next feeding site. Oldenzaal, Netherlands, September 2007.
	· Date: Sun 13, July 2008 · Views: 3110 · Filesize: 81.2kb, 141.2kb · Dimensions: 1200 x 900 ·
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	Keywords: Mite Parasitus Poecilochirus Gamasus Acari Parasitidae Nymph Phoresy Dung Beetle Coleoptera Geotrupidae Netherlands September
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black

Really Wild Member

Registered: December 2007
Location: Liverpool for my sins
Posts: 4,091

Mon 14, July 2008 5:15am

Great shot! The dung beetle must have real difficulty taking off with all those hitch-hikers

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paul m

Really Wild Member

Registered: November 2006
Location: Sheffield, South Yorks, UK
Posts: 7,934

Mon 14, July 2008 6:29am

Crikey - never seen that many mites on one beetle before!

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What the others are here for, I don't know."
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Pudding4brains
Really Wild Member

Registered: January 2008
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 1,256

Mon 14, July 2008 7:19am

Well, let's say I had no trouble at all catching up with the poor thing

(as if that would be a problem normally

) - even walking was obviously slow. Still not 100% sure if these might do a little 'feeding' on the beetle too while hitching their ride, but even if not the cheer mass/obstruction would certainly make the beetle unhappy, so it's not all 'mutually beneficial' I suppose

goosey

Really Wild Member

Registered: August 2007
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 9,053

Mon 14, July 2008 2:13pm

What a great image! Poor beetle though, it can't be much fun can it. I wonder what would be their prefered victim to actually feed on? Lucky it wasn't your hand!

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