Tarsonemidae is a family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 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, also called thread-footed mites or white mites.

Only a limited number of tarsonemid genera (Steneotarsonemus, Polyphagotarsonemus, Phytonemus, Floridotarsonemus and Tarsonemus) are known to feed on higher plants

Vascular plant

Vascular plants are those plants that have lignified tissues for conducting water, minerals, and photosynthetic products through the plant. Vascular plants include the clubmosses, Equisetum, ferns, gymnosperms and angiosperms...

 while most species in this family feed on the thin-walled mycelia of fungi or possibly algal bodies. Even among the plant-feeding tarsonemid mites, most are confined to areas of new growth where cell wall

Cell wall

The cell wall is the tough, usually flexible but sometimes fairly rigid layer that surrounds some types of cells. It is located outside the cell membrane and provides these cells with structural support and protection, and also acts as a filtering mechanism. A major function of the cell wall is to...

s are thin and therefore easily pierced. However two species (broad mite

Broad mite

The broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus, is a microscopic species of mite found on many species of plants, including important agricultural species such as grapes, apples, and other fruits. The mites are found in many areas throughout the world and are major pests in greenhouses.A P...

 Polyphagotarsonemus latus and cyclamen mite

Cyclamen mite

The cyclamen mite is a tiny mite often found as a pest on African violets and cyclamen plants. It is invisible to the naked eye, measuring only 0.001 inch at maturity. It requires a warm, humid environment, and is therefore problematic primarily in greenhouses.-External links:* on the UF /...

 Steneotarsonemus pallidus) are able to feed on older leaves because of their ability to inject toxin

Toxin

A toxin is a poisonous substance produced within living cells or organisms; man-made substances created by artificial processes are thus excluded...

s during feeding (presumably of salivary gland

Salivary gland

The salivary glands in mammals are exocrine glands, glands with ducts, that produce saliva. They also secrete amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch into maltose...

 origin) causing an increase of thin walled cells surrounding feeding sites. This proliferation of new growth often results in leaves that appear stunted, puckered and twisted.

Selected genera

• Acarapis
• Floridotarsonemus
• Phytonemus
• Polyphagotarsonemus
• Steneotarsonemus
• Tarsonemus

Control

While little pest management research has been done on the majority of tarsonemid species, comprehensive studies have been made into the biological and chemical control of the cyclamen mite and the broad mite. Chemical trials demonstrated that endosulfan

Endosulfan

Endosulfan is an off-patent organochlorine insecticide and acaricide that is being phased out globally. Endosulfan became a highly controversial agrichemical due to its acute toxicity, potential for bioaccumulation, and role as an endocrine disruptor...

 and dicofol

Dicofol

Dicofol is an organochlorine pesticide that is chemically related to DDT. Dicofol is a miticide that is very effective against red spider mite....

 consistently reduced densities of P. latus and S. pallidus, and planting stock can be effectively decontaminated through fumigation

Fumigation

Fumigation is a method of pest control that completely fills an area with gaseous pesticides—or fumigants—to suffocate or poison the pests within. It is utilized for control of pests in buildings , soil, grain, and produce, and is also used during processing of goods to be imported or...

 with methyl bromide or 1,2-dibromoethane

1,2-Dibromoethane

1,2-Dibromoethane, also known as ethylene dibromide , is the chemical compound with the formula BrCH2CH2Br. Although trace amounts occur naturally in the ocean, where it is formed probably by algae and kelp, it is mainly a synthetic...

. Three entomogenous fungi, Beauveria bassiana

Beauveria bassiana

Beauveria bassiana is a fungus that grows naturally in soils throughout the world and acts as a parasite on various arthropod species, causing white muscardine disease; it thus belongs to the entomopathogenic fungi. It is being used as a biological insecticide to control a number of pests such as...

, Metarhizium anisopliae

Metarhizium anisopliae

Metarhizium anisopliae, formerly known as Entomophthora anisopliae , is a fungus that grows naturally in soils throughout the world and causes disease in various insects by acting as a parasite. Ilya I. Mechnikov named it after the insect species it was originally isolated from: the beetle...

, and Paecilomyces fumosoroseus

Paecilomyces fumosoroseus

Paecilomyces fumosoroseus is a microscopic fungus that infects and kills insects. It shows promise as a biological pesticide with an extensive host range.-Life cycle:...

, can effectively manage broad mite infestations, with B. bassiana providing the greatest reduction. Predatory phytoseiid

Phytoseiidae

Phytoseiidae is a family of mites which feed on thrips and other mite species. They are often used as a biological control agent for managing mite pests.-Subfamilies:* Amblyseiinae Muma, 1961* Phytoseiinae Berlese, 1916* Typhlodrominae Scheuten, 1857...

 mites, in the genus Neoseiulus

Neoseiulus

Neoseiulus is a genus of mites in the Phytoseiidae family.-Species:*Neoseiulus accessus *Neoseiulus aceriae *Neoseiulus aegyptocitri...

, can also successfully control P. latus and S. pallidus under greenhouse

Greenhouse

A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...

 and field conditions.

External links

• Joel Hallan's Biology Catalog: Tarsonemidae
• cyclamen mite, Phytonemus pallidus on the University of Florida
  University of Florida
  The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
  
   / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
  Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
  The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
  
  Featured Creatures website