Mites on Moths
Moths can suffer from mites both as caterpillars and as adult moths. The one pictured on the right wing in the photo below would probably have affected its ability to fly.
Family:- OECOPHORIDAE
Sub Family:- OECOPHORINAE
Genus:- Acantholena
Species:- siccella
The mite is probably an Erythraeidae mite
Phylum Arthropoda - Arthropods
Subphylum Chelicerata - Chelicerates
Class Arachnida - Arachnids
Subclass Acari - Mites and Ticks
The following text has been taken from the two web sites listed below.
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/fauna/afd/taxa/ERYTHRAEIDAE
http://www.csiro.au/en/Research/Collections/ANIC/Insect-research/Mites-Research
" Mites are not insects, but arachnids, a group that also includes spiders, scorpions and harvestmen, and a few other groups of small invertebrates.
Mites occur in all imaginable habitats – in soil and water, on the bottom of the sea, and on plants and the bodies of other animals. Most mites are small, less than 1 mm in length, so they often go unnoticed until they make their presence felt in some way."
"The Erythraeidae are a large cosmopolitan family of about 300 species of mites that are found on soil, in litter, and on vegetation (Walter et al. 2009). The adults are large and conspicuous, often brightly coloured in red and orange. The adults are predators, which are often found to be beneficial in contributing to the control of pests such as spider mites, scale insects, and aphids (reviewed by Gerson et al. 2003). The larvae of Erythraeidae are parasites on many different groups of insects and other arthropods."
About half a million species are believed to exist worldwide, but the great majority have never been studied or even named. About 3000 named species occur in Australia, but the actual number of species present is certainly much greater than that.
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Catadoceta xanthostephana OECOPHORINAE OECOPHORIDAE
Family:- OECOPHORIDAE
Sub Family:- OECOPHORINAE
Genus:- Catadoceta
Species:- xanthostephana
The larvae of this genus appear to mostly eat dead Eucalyptus leaves although some eat the green leaves.
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Eulechria atmospila OECOPHORINAE OECOPHORIDAE
I originally put this moth on here under the nameGarrha Sp OECOPHORINAE OECOPHORIDAE
Family:- OECOPHORIDAE
Sub Family:- OECOPHORINAE
Genus:- Eulechria
Species:- atmospila
This posting was modified Tuesday 28th of August 2018.
