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Transfer of a Pyemotes egg parastie phoretic on western pine bark beetles to the southern pine beetle

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Pyemotes giganticus has the widest phoretic latitude of any known Pyemotes probably riding all scolytids and at least one tenebrionid beetle associate. The female heteromorph is not phoretic. The feeding latitude is narrow; the mite is known to feed only on scolytid eggs, and then reluctantly. Parasitism of a natural host, Pseudohylesinus nebulosus, is very low, probably far less than 1 percent. Phoretomorphs gave birth to males, phoretomorphs, and female heteromorphs. Normal females bore phoretomorphs and males. Adults were born head first and the males did not assist in births.

Citation

Moser, John C. 1981. Transfer of a Pyemotes egg parastie phoretic on western pine bark beetles to the southern pine beetle. Internat. J. Acarol.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/22389