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Mites from Mexican Oaks Canopies

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Abstract

—Mites are known to live in a diverse number of habitats, but only recently have they been collected in large quantities from the tropical canopies, where they have a diverse feeding habit We studied the canopy oribatid mites from five localities of Mexican oak species. Foggings with a natural pyrethrum in aqueous solution were employed to obtain the arthropods living on the canopy of the oaks. Specimens were taken from two collections made in February and August of 1997.

The total number of mites obtained with the two foggings was 5824 specimens. Most of them (95%) were collected during the rainy season and only about 5% during the dry season. The Mesostigmata were represented by 194 specimens, Prostigmata by 849 and the Cryptostigmata (or oribatids) were by far the most abundant, with a total of 4781 specimens. This group represents only 3% of total mite abundance during the dry season and 97% during the rainy season.

Quercus crassipes harboured more oribatid mites during the dry and rainy seasons, and the most important mites in abundance and frequency were Camisia sp., Phauloppia sp. and Scapheremaeus sp.

Résumé

—Les acariens sont connus pour vivre dans des habitats très variés. Ils ont été cependant récoltés tout récemment en grandes quantités dans la canopée des forêts tropicales, où ils ont des préférences alimentaires diverses. Nous avons étudié les acariens oribates dans 5 forêts de chênes du centre du Mexique.

Nous avons utilisé la méthode de la fumigation, avec un pyrèthre naturel dilué dans une solution aqueuse sur différents arbres afin de récolter les arthropodes présents dans la canopée des chênes. Les spécimens ont été récoltés lors de deux échantillonnages réalisés en février et août 1997.

Le nombre total d’acariens obtenus avec les deux fumigations est de 5824 spécimens. La plupart d’entre eux (95%) ont été récoltés pendant la saison des pluies, et seulement 5% pendant la saison sèche. Les Mesostigmata sont représentés par 194 spécimens, les Prostigmata par 849 et les Cryptostigmata (oribates), de loin les plus abondants, par 4781 spécimens. Seulement 3% d’oribates ont été récoltés pendant la saison sèche et 97% pendant la saison des pluies.

Le chêne Quercus crassipes est l’espèce qui héberge le plus d’oribates aussi bien en saison sèche qu’en saison des pluies, et les acariens les plus abondants et fréquents sont Camisia sp., Phauloppia sp. et Scapheremaeus sp.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio Ecología y Sistemática de Microartrópodos, Depto. Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM., México, D. F. 04510, Mexico

    José G. Palacios-Vargas, Ricardo Iglesias & Gabriela Castaño-Meneses

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  1. José G. Palacios-Vargas
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  2. Ricardo Iglesias
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  3. Gabriela Castaño-Meneses
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Correspondence to José G. Palacios-Vargas.

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Palacios-Vargas, J.G., Iglesias, R. & Castaño-Meneses, G. Mites from Mexican Oaks Canopies. Int J Trop Insect Sci 23, 287–292 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758400012340

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