Psoroptidia
Encyclopedia
Psoroptidia is a suborder of the Acari (mite
) group Astigmatina. It comprises around 40 families, and apparently originated as parasites
of bird
s, before a secondary radiation saw some taxa become parasites of mammal
s. Because of their parasitic lifestyle, members of the Psoroptidia do not exhibit a deutonymph stage.
The group contains many of the more notorious parasitic
members of the Astigmata. Three of the superfamilies in this clade are among those Acarina collectively called feather mite
s, whereas the fourth – Sarcoptoidea
– contains ear mite
s and scabies
mites among others.
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:...
) group Astigmatina. It comprises around 40 families, and apparently originated as parasites
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...
of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, before a secondary radiation saw some taxa become parasites of mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s. Because of their parasitic lifestyle, members of the Psoroptidia do not exhibit a deutonymph stage.
The group contains many of the more notorious 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...
members of the Astigmata. Three of the superfamilies in this clade are among those Acarina collectively called feather mite
Feather mite
Feather mites are the members of diverse mite superfamilies:* superorder Acariformes** Psoroptidia*** Analgoidea*** Freyanoidea*** Pterolichoidea* superorder Parasitiformes** DermanyssoideaThey are ectoparasites on birds, hence the common name....
s, whereas the fourth – Sarcoptoidea
Sarcoptoidea
Sarcoptoidea is a superfamily of mites, including many associated with mammals....
– contains ear mite
Ear mite
Ear mites are mites that live in the ears of animals. The most commonly seen species is Otodectes cynotis .-Contagion:...
s and scabies
Scabies
Scabies , known colloquially as the seven-year itch, is a contagious skin infection that occurs among humans and other animals. It is caused by a tiny and usually not directly visible parasite, the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which burrows under the host's skin, causing intense allergic itching...
mites among others.