Diagnostic characters:

• Peritremes short, sinuous

• Sternal shield horseshoe-shaped and bearing 5 pairs of setae

• Metapodal shields very large and covered with numerous small setae

• Opisthogenital shield with numerous small setae, expanded laterally and reaching metapodal and anal shields; body broader than long.

 

Similar taxa. Euvarroa mites are longer  than broad and have a ventrianal shield and small metapodal shields. Tropilaelaps are longer than wide and have narrow genital shields.  Melittiphis have a well developed sternal keel.

 

 

Ecology & Distribution.  Parasites of honeybees.

 

 

References

Casanueva ME.  1993.  Phylogenetic studies of the free-living arthropod associated Laelapidae (Acari: Mesostigmata).  Gayana Zoologica 57: 21-46.

Delfinado, M. D. and Baker, E. W. 1974. Varroidae, a new family of mites on honey bees (Mesostigmata: Acarina). Journal of the Washington Academy of Science 64 : 4-10.

Delfinado-Baker, M. and Houck, M. A. 1989. Geographic variation in Varroa jacobsoni (Acari, Varroidae) : application of multivariate morphometric techniques. Apidologie 20 : 345-358.