Mites and Nematodes Associated with Three Subterranean Termite Species (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)
Abstract
Mites and nematodes associated with three subterranean termite species, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), Reticulitermes virginicus (Banks), and Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki were studied. Mites belonging to 8 families were found associated with the three termite species. Australhypopus sp. (Acari: Acaridae) was the most common mite on R. flavipes and R. virginicus. Histiostoma formosana Phillipsen and Coppel (Acari: Acaridae) was the dominant mite species living on C. formosanus. Nematode, Rhabditis sp. (Rhabditida: Rhabditidae) was found in the three termite species examined. Nematodes did not cause termite mortality or abnormal behavior. Percentages of R. flavipes, R. virginicus, and C. formosanus parasitized by nematodes were 67.9, 38.8, and 3.3%, respectively. The nematodes were found mainly in the termite heads (85.8% in R. flavipes and R. virginicus). The abundance of mites varied with colonies and termite species. Australhypopus sp. occurred in large numbers when injured or dead termites are present, or when moisture of the rearing medium is low in R. flavipes and R. virginicus colonies. Histiostoma formosana and Cosmoglyphus absoloniSam i ák occurred in large numbers in C. formosanus colonies. Australhypopus sp. was tested against R. flavipes in the laboratory. It did not cause significant termite mortality at a rate of 10 mites/termite. From a biological point of view, mites investigated were not good candidates for controlling termites.View this article in BioOne
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright for any article published in Florida Entomologist is held by the author(s) of the article. Florida Entomologist is an open access journal. Florida Entomologist follows terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License (cc by-nc). By submitting and publishing articles in Florida Entomologist, authors grant the FOJ and Florida Entomologist's host institutions permission to make the article available through Internet posting and electronic dissemination, and to otherwise archive the information contained both electronically and in a hard printed version. When used, information and images obtained from articles must be referenced and cited appropriately. Articles may be reproduced for personal, educational, or archival purposes, or any non-commercial use. Permission should be sought from the author(s) for multiple, non-commercial reproduction. Written permission from the author(s) is required for any commercial reproduction.
