Oribatida also known as moss mites or beetle mites, are an order

Order (biology)

In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...

 of mite

Mite

Mites, along with ticks, are small arthropods belonging to the subclass Acari and the class Arachnida. The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology.-Diversity and systematics:...

s, in the "chewing Acariformes

Acariformes

The Acariformes are the more diverse of the two superorders of mites. There are over 32,000 described species in 351 families, and an estimated total of 440,000 to 929,000, including undescribed species.-Systematics and taxonomy:...

" clade

Clade

A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...

 Sarcoptiformes

Sarcoptiformes

Sarcoptiformes is an order of Acari....

. They range in size from 0.2 to 1.4 mm (0.0078740157480315 to 0.0551181102362205 ).

Oribatid mites generally have low metabolic

Metabolism

Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...

 rates, slow development and low fecundity. Species are iteroparous with adults living a relatively long time; for example, estimates of development time from egg

Egg (biology)

An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...

 to adult vary from several months to two years in temperate forest

Temperate forest

Temperate forests correspond to forest concentrations formed in the northern hemisphere. Main characteristics include: wide leaves, big and tall trees and non seasonal vegetation...

 soils. Oribatid mites have six active instar

Instar

An instar is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each molt , until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or assume a new form. Differences between instars can often be seen in altered body proportions, colors, patterns, or...

s: prelarva, larva

Larva

A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...

, 3 nymphal

Nymph (biology)

In biology, a nymph is the immature form of some invertebrates, particularly insects, which undergoes gradual metamorphosis before reaching its adult stage. Unlike a typical larva, a nymph's overall form already resembles that of the adult. In addition, while a nymph moults it never enters a...

 instars and the adult. All these stages after the prelarva feed on a wide variety of material including living and dead plant

Plant

Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...

 and fungal

Fungus

A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...

 material, lichen

Lichen

Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...

s and carrion

Carrion

Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters include vultures, hawks, eagles, hyenas, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, coyotes, Komodo dragons, and burying beetles...

; some are predatory, but none is parasitic

Parasitism

Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...

 and feeding habits may differ between immatures and adults of the same species.

The Oribatida are of economic importance as hosts of various tapeworm species, and by increasing the breakdown of organic material in the soil, in a similar manner to earthworm

Earthworm

Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...

s.

Systematics

Oribatida is divided into the following taxa:

• Palaeosomata Grandjean, 1969

• Acaronychoidea Grandjean, 1932 (6 genera)

• Acaronychidae Grandjean, 1932

• Palaeacaroidea Grandjean, 1932 (8 genera)

• Palaeacaridae Grandjean, 1932

• Parhyposomata Balogh & Mahunka, 1979

• Parhypochthonioidea Grandjean, 1969 (3 genera)

• Parhypochthoniidae Grandjean, 1969
• Gehypochthoniidae Strenzke, 1963
• Elliptochthoniidae Norton, 1975

• Enarthronota Grandjean, 1947

• Hypochthonoidea Berlese
  Antonio Berlese
  Antonio Berlese was an Italian entomologist.Berlese worked on pest insects notably of fruit trees...
  
  , 1910 (c. 8 genera)

• Hypochthoniidae Berlese, 1910
• Eniochthoniidae Grandjean, 1947
• Arborichthoniidae Balogh & Balogh, 1992

• Brachychthonoidea Thor, 1934 (c. 11 genera)

• Brachychthoniidae Thor, 1934

• Cosmochthonioidea Grandjean, 1947 (c. 14 genera)

• Cosmochthoniidae Grandjean, 1947
• Heterochthoniidae Grandjean, 1954
• Haplochthoniidae Hammen, 1959
• Pediculochelidae Lavoipierre, 1946
• Sphaerochthoniidae Grandjean, 1947

• Atopochthonioidea Grandjean, 1949 (3 genera)

• Atopochthoniidae Grandjean, 1949
• Pterochthoniidae Grandjean, 1950
• Phyllochthoniidae Travé, 1967

• Protoplophoroidea Ewing, 1917 (c. 7 genera)

• Protoplophoridae Ewing, 1917

• Mixonomata Grandjean, 1969

• Dichosomata Balogh & Mahunka, 1979

• Nehypochthonioidea Norton & Metz, 1980

• Nehypochthoniidae Norton & Metz, 1980

• Perlohmannioidea Grandjean, 1954

• Perlohmaniidae Grandjean, 1954
• Collohmanniidae Grandjean, 1958

• Eulohmannioidea Grandjean, 1931

• Eulohmanniidae Grandjean, 1931

• Epilohmannioidea Oudemans, 1923

• Epilohmanniidae Oudemans, 1923

• Lohmannioidea Berlese, 1916

• Lohmanniidae Berlese, 1916

• Euptyctima Grandjean, 1967

• Mesoplophoroidea Ewing, 1917

• Mesoplophoridae Ewing, 1917

• Euphthiracaroidea Jacot, 1930

• Oribotritiidae
  Oribotritiidae
  Oribotritiidae is a family of mites in the order Oribatida....
  
   Grandjean, 1954
• Euphthiracaridae
  Euphthiracaridae
  Euphthiracaridae is a family of mites in the order Oribatida....
  
   Jacot, 1930
• Synichotritiidae Walker, 1965

• Phthiracaroidea Perty, 1841

• Phthiracaridae Perty, 1841
• Steganacaridae
  Steganacaridae
  Steganacaridae is a family of mites in the order Oribatida....
  
   Niedbała, 1986

• Holosomata Grandjean, 1969

• Crotonioidea Thorell
  Tamerlan Thorell
  Tord Tamerlan Teodor Thorell was a Swedish arachnologist.Thorell studied spiders with Giacomo Doria at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale de Genoa...
  
  , 1876

• Thrypochthoniidae Willmann, 1931
• Malaconothridae Berlese, 1916
• Nothridae Berlese, 1896
• Camisiidae Oudemans, 1900
• Crotoniidae
  Crotoniidae
  Crotoniidae are a family of mites of the Desmonomata group that may be the first animal lineage to have abandoned sexual reproduction and then reevolved it...
  
   Thorell, 1876

• Nanhermannioidea Sellnick, 1928

• Nanhermanniidae Sellnick, 1928

• Hermannioidea Sellnick, 1928

• Hermanniidae Sellnick, 1928

• Brachypylina
  Brachypylina
  Brachypylina is a suborder of oribatid mites.-Families:* Pycnonoticae Grandjean, 1954* Hermannielloidea Grandjean, 1934* Neoliodoidea Sellnick, 1928* Plateremaeoidea Trägårdh, 1926Brachypylina is a suborder of oribatid mites.-Families:...
  
   Hull, 1918

• Pycnonoticae Grandjean, 1954

• Hermannielloidea Grandjean, 1934 (2 families)
• Neoliodoidea Sellnick, 1928 (1 family)
• Plateremaeoidea Trägårdh, 1926 (4 families)
• Gymnodamaeoidea Grandjean, 1954 (2 families)
• Damaeoidea Berlese, 1896 (1 family)
• Polypterozetoidea Grandjean, 1959 (2 families)
• Cepheoidea Berlese, 1896 (7 families)
• Charassobatoidea Grandjean, 1958 (3 families)
• Microzetoidea Grandjean, 1936 (1 family)
• Zetorchestoidea Michael, 1898 (1 family)
• Gustavioidea Oudemans, 1900 (8 families)
• Eremaeoidea Oudemans, 1900 (4 families)
• Amerobelboidea Grandjean, 1954 (10 families)
• Eremelloidea Balogh, 1961 (7 families)
• Oppioidea Sellnick, 1937 (12 families)
• Trizetoidea Ewing, 1917 (6 families)
• Otocepheoidea Balogh, 1961 (4 families)
• Carabodoidea Koch, 1837 (3 families)
• Tectocepheoidea Grandjean, 1954 (2 families)
• Hydrozetoidea Grandjean, 1954 (1 family)
• Ameronothroidea Willmann, 1931 (3 families)
• Cymbaeremaeoidea Sellnick, 1928 (3 families)

• Poronoticae Grandjean, 1954

• Licneremaeoidea Grandjean, 1931 (6 families)
• Phenopelopoidea Petrunkevitch, 1955 (1 family)
• Unduloribatoidea Kunst, 1971 (3 families)
• Limnozetoidea Thor, 1937 (2 families)
• Achipterioidea Thor, 1929 (2 families)
• Oribatelloidea Jacot, 1925 (3 families)
• Ceratozetoidea Jacot, 1925 (5 families)
• Zetomotrichoidea Grandjean, 1934 (1 family)
• Oripodoidea Jacot, 1925 (19 families)
• Galumnoidea Jacot, 1925 (3 families)