Zerconidae
| Zerconidae | ||||||||||||
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Female of Prozercon sellnicki |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Zerconidae | ||||||||||||
| Berlese , 1892 |
The Zerconidae are a family of predatory mites (Gamasida) with distribution in the northern hemisphere. The species in the family are common in forests where they colonize the superficial soil layers.
features
Representatives of this predatory mite family are only 215–680 µm in size. The most important distinguishing feature from other groups are the four dorsal pits at the end of the dorsal shield (sometimes barely visible) and the jagged edge of the shield. The male genital opening is in the middle of the sternal shield .
Way of life
They are free-living mites that feed predatory. They are oligophagous , that is, they specialize in a certain food source. Their main food is roundworms , which are also found in the litter.
Their life cycle includes three stages up to sexual maturity: larva, protonymph and nymph. After the last moult, the animals are adult .
Systematics
The Zerconidae belong to the superfamily Zerconoidea, which apart from the Zerconidae itself only consists of the monobasic family Coprozerconidae . The superfamily belongs to the sub-cohort Epicriiae in the cohort of predatory mites.
Genera
The family is distributed with around 330 species in the northern hemisphere. Most of the representatives come from the genera Zercon (approx. 225 species) and Prozercon (approx. 50 species). Other genera are:
- Aleksozercon Petrova, 1978
- Allozercon Błaszak, 1984
- Amerozercon Halašková, 1969
- Aquilonozercon Halašková, 1979
- Aspar Halašková, 1977
- Bakeras Błaszak, 1984
- Blaszakiella Sikora & Skoracki, 2008
- Bledas Halašková, 1977
- Carpathozercon Balan, 1991
- Caurozercon Halašková, 1977
- Cosmozercon Błaszak, 1981
- Echinozercon Błaszak, 1975
- Eurozercon Halašková, 1979
- Hypozercon Błaszak, 1981
- Indozercon Błaszak, 1978
- Kaikiozercon Halašková, 1979
- Koreozercon Halašková, 1979
- Krantzas Błaszak, 1981
- Lindquistas Błaszak, 1981
- Macrozercon Błaszak, 1975
- Mesozercon Błaszak, 1975
- Metazercon Błaszak, 1975
- Microzercon Błaszak, 1975
- Mixozercon Halašková, 1963
- Monozercon Błaszak, 1984
- Neozercon Petrova, 1977
- Paleozercon Błaszak, Cokendolpher & Polyak, 1995
- Parazercon Trägerardh, 1931
- Parhozercon Błaszak, 1981
- Rafas Błaszak, 1979
- Skeironozercon Halašková, 1977
- Syskenozercon Athias-Henriot, 1977
- Xenozercon Błaszak, 1976
literature
- W. Karg: Acari (Acarina), Mites Parasitiformes (Anactinochaeta), Cohors Gamasina Leach, predatory mites. In: The animal world of Germany and the adjacent parts of the sea according to their characteristics and their way of life. 59th part, 2nd revised edition. VEB Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena 1993, ISBN 3-931374-48-3 .
- C. Błaszak, JC Cokendolpher, VJ Polyak: Paleozercon cavernicolus n. Gen., N. Sp., Fossil mite from a cave in the Southwestern USA (Acari, Gamasida, Zerconidae), with a key to Nearctic genera of Zerconidae. In: International Journal of Acarology. 21, 4, 1995, pp. 253-259.
Web links
- Zerconidae at Fauna Europaea