#histiostomatidae — Public Fediverse posts

#Mites of the #Astigmata (#Sarcoptiformes, #Acariformes), such as #Histiostomatidae shown here, practice #direct #spermtransfer via #copulatoryorgans in #males and #females. An #evolutionary #innovation derived from #spermatophoretransfer without copulation in #Oribatidmites. Advantage: a huge egg can develop and new sperm can be stored simultaneously.
©#StefanFWirth, July 2026

Please support my research
https://ko-fi.com/sfwirth

#SEM #photos
©S.F.Wirth: #Histiostoma #palustre, H. sp, #aedeagus

A striking #character of adult #mites in #Histiostomatidae (#Astigmata) is a highly #sclerotized area on the upper surface of #proterosoma. Its #latticelike #structure forms a #taxonomically relevant #symmetrical #pattern of windows, for which I introduced a #nomenclature in my PhD thesis. This area is a site of #muscleorigins (see #SEM section through a bigger specimen of #Acaridae).
©#StefanFWirth 2026

Please support my work with a coffee
https://ko-fi.com/sfwirth

#pics
©S.F. Wirth edit 2026

#Freelancers like me depend on support to survive and be productive, I much appreciate support for a coffee: ko-fi.com/sfwirth
I am performing #science, #sciencecommunication and #arts, often combining arts/science. My #topicrange is wide, it reaches from titan #isopods over the behaviors of the Mediterranean #Junebeetle and even over an #animated #video about the #Cambrianexplosion towards #phoretic #mites of the #Histiostomatidae. Here H. sp. from rotting #lemonfruits. Please support my work.

#Mouthparts in #mites of the #Acariformes are usually normal shaped as typical for #arachnids. The #chelicerae are the feeding organs consisting of digitus fixus and d. mobilis. #Pedipalps have sensing functions with different kinds of #sensoryorgans. In #Histiostomatidae (#Astigmata) the whole #gnathosoma is modified into a complex #filterfeeding organ that creates an #underpressure on #food surfaces.
© #StefanFWirth Berlin 2026

Reference
S. F. Wirth (2023)
https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/GSP/GSOIL4N/GSOIL4N-Posters/ID_167.pdf

#Mites of the #Histiostomatidae live in #darkness in their #ephemeral #microhabitats. The distinctive deutonymphs are the #dispersal stage, being transported by insects. #Adults, however, live freely and #communicate via complex #olfactorysignals. An important #glandularcomplex is located on the dorsal body side. I participated in a study about the #geranial-rich glandular #secretions (2012).

© #StefanFWirth 24 Dec. 2025

Ref

https://doi.org/10.1080/01647954.2012.662247

#SEM #pics

©S.F. Wirth, Histiostoma sp.

#Mites of the #Histiostomatidae (#Astigmata) not only have highly #modified #mouthparts (see photo) that form a #filterfeeding organ, but their #copulatoryposition is also an #evolutionary #modification. Other Astigmata mate back-to-back, while Histiostomatidae have the male riding on top of the female, head over head. See here the dorsal #copulationopening of a #female of #Histiostoma sp..

©#StefanFWirth 2025

Further reading S.F. Wirth ( 2024)
https://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/gsid24/posters/en/

SEMphotos ©S.F. Wirth

In my new YouTube #video, I tell the #hypothetical story of a #Histiostomatidae #mite that lived its #lifehistory in the #dung heap of the #dinosaur #Edmontosaurus #annectens during the Late #Cretaceous. It developed #fungivorously within the dung and, when conditions deteriorated, was #transported by #flies to a new habitat (phoresis). All images and footage created with #AI assistance, except photos of free-living mites.
© #StefanFWirth 2025

Video
https://youtu.be/gzv-TZmU5G4?si=zrTLfrC96k3KEGqr

Pics
© S.F. Wirth

#Mites of the #Histiostomatidae (#Astigmata, #Acariformes) are adapted due to #evolution to form #species with #small sizes of about 200-400 micrometers in adults. Their thin #cuticles and modified #filterfeeding #mouthparts for #fungus-bacterial #food intake allowed their #radiation within shortliving moist and bacteria/fungus rich habitats.

©#StefanFWirth October 2025,

Photos
Females of #Histiostoma sp., from #sapropel #mud around gravel pit ponds, #Berlin #Grunewald, 2019, New edit 2025

In #Astigmata #mites #chemosensitive/#tactile interactions take precedence over #visualsenses. #Histiostomatidae (here, #Histiostoma sp., H. feroniarum complex, ex #rottinglemons, #Italy) communicate using various #pheromones/allomones produced by the #opisthonotal #glands. See here a #glandularopening on the upper hindbody #(hysterosoma) of a #female, #SEM.

© #StefanFWirth, 2025

Reference:

Stefan F. Wirth about a lemon mite (2024): https://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/gsid24/posters/en/

Photos:
© SFWirth Bln, 2006-25

The #duskyant, #Formica #fusca (#Myrmicinae), is a ground-dwelling #ant with #earthnests in warmer habitats, widespread in #CentralEurope and extending across the western #Palearctic. The nests are #polygynous (severely active #queens). Like many ant species, this one also carries #phoretic organisms on its body, e.g., #mites of the #Histiostomatidae. #biodiversity #insects #Hymenoptera

© #StefanFWirth, #Berlin May 2025

Artistic Photo:

#Worker of F. fusca Berlin, May 2025, © S.F. Wirth

#Histiostomatidae #mites phoretically attach arthropods, having e.g. these #apomorphies (newly evolved features): #filtermouth in free stages and forward-facing #legs 3,4 of #deutonymphs, supporting #attaching/#detaching #host. #Images = my current #research

© #StefanFWirth 2025

Related papers

S. F. Wirth 2016
https://doi.org/10.21684/0132-8077-2016-24-2-97-111

S. F. Wirth 2023,  pp 102-103
https://doi.org/10.4060/cc6728en

#Photos
1) sideview mouth adult H. sp ex tree stump (2022) 2) deutonymph B. #sibirica (2016) © S. F. W.

Overview of the topic of #muscleattachment and origin points and #muscle #morphology in #Astigmata #mites (#Acariformes). Figs. 1-3 show a view from the #proterosoma towards the #gnathosoma of a mite of the #Acaridae. Fig. 4 shows a female of a #Histiostomatidae mite in the area of #​​legs 1 and 2 with the associated muscles and muscle attachment points. The already older preparations were critically - point dried before #SEM observations. #acarology #biology
© #StefanFWirth Berlin 2025

This is the first #freeliving #instar of a #mite from the #Histiostomatidae (#Astigmata, #Acariformes) : named the #larva and being characterized by having only #3pairs of #legs, which is a phylogenetically old character. #Specific and thus #apomorphic for Histiostomatidae is that there is a #dorsalpattern of #sclerites, differing between subtaxa. The photo shows the species #Histiostoma sp. (H. feroniarum-complex) from rotting #lemonfruits in Italy (Sorrento).

© #StefanFWirth Berlin 2024

Scanning electron microscope #SEM details of a #mite (#Histiostomatidae, #Astigmata, #Acariformes) from rotting #lemonfruits in #Italy (Sorrento, from 2006).

The #copulationopening of this species consists of a forwardly curved half "dome", which seemingly protects the opening hole from being covered by dirt from above. In this Histiostoma sp. it is useless as females reproduce parthenogenetically (#thelytoky).
© #StefanFWirth Berlin 2024

My full #blogarticle on X:
https://x.com/wirthstef/status/1840364206966579512?t=G04uRpmjMOM1nvKMZNR5yQ&s=19

#Samesex #sexualbehaviors in the sense of explicit #mating activities of all kinds of #courtshipbehavior or copulation attempts between two males or two females are in various #animaltaxa according to researchers a rather common #phenomenon, especially among #mammals (e.g. #bonobos). It even occurs in #mites (e.g. #Histiostomatidae
But why are there only rarely specific studies on animal SSSB behaviors?

©#StefanFWirth Berlin 2024

My blog article:
https://x.com/wirthstef/status/1807191221959311421?t=2njEO7zWQ_1Npm-k5T4-Lw&s=19

Photos ©SF. Wirth

#Lemon #tree #Citrus × #limon, its fruits, their insecticidal effect, about tree-#endophytic #organisms (#microbiota) and the rotting #fruits as #habitats for #phoretic #mites (#Histiostomatidae). #Ecology, #phoresy, #phoresis, #soil, #decomposition
© #StefanFWirth Berlin2024

My #blog on #biologe + #literature:

wp.me/p2l6XU-1TF

Photos 2+3: details of small #lemontree from plant trade Berlin, 1: #Histiostoma sp. (H. #feroniarum-complex) from lemons in #Sorrento (#Italy,2006) © S. F. Wirth 2024

How to identify #convergent #evolution in morphologically very similar taxa (e.g. #Elateridae, Coleoptera) and an example of involving biological characters in phylogenetic evaluations (e.g. #mites, #Histiostomatidae, #Astigmata).
© #StefanFWirth 2024

Sources
Link to my full blog article:
https://twitter.com/wirthstef/status/1752068722590732622?t=ozQKabqsve97CZt4HrNrng&s=19

Paper of D. Kusy, M. Motyka & L. Bocak (2023):
https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixad017

S. F. Wirth (2005):
https://doi.org/10.1080/01647950508683657

Photos:
1) Elaterid beetle (symbol pic.) 2) Histiostoma feroniarum

In the paper Krüger & Wirth (2011) we elucidate various biologically interesting phenomena based on the #mite #Sarraceniopus #nipponensis (#Histiostomatidae) that is bound to life within the pitchers of carnivorus #Sarracenia plants (#Ericales).
we have also dealt intensively with the #lifecycle and details of the #prematingbehavior. The attached #SEM photo shows two #males apparently #competing for the #mateguarding privilege with a #female #tritonymph.

© #StefanFWirth Berlin 2023

What is a #mite of the #Histiostomatidae doing in nests of an #antnest? About behavior, dispersal, #phoresy, life strategy. A 2008 study about the life strategy of mite #Histiostoma #bakeri (Histiostomatidae) in nests of the leafcutting ant #Atta #texana.
According to this, the desired location of the mites for mating and reproduction is the detritus chambers of the ant nest.
© #StefanFWirth Berlin 2023

Paper Wirth & Moser (2008), short summary and PDF for download: https://wp.me/p2l6XU-1Mt