Miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) have attracted much attention due to their widespread occurrence and high copy numbers in eukaryotic genomes. However, the systematic knowledge about MITEs in insects and other animals is still lacking. In this study, we identified 6012 MITE families from 98 insect species genomes. Comparison of these MITEs with known MITEs in the NCBI non...

BACKGROUND The effectiveness of acaricides in homes is controversial. OBJECTIVE To determine whether disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT) combined with vacuuming lowers dust mite numbers and their allergens in carpets and sofas. METHODS A 6-month study was carried out with 93 homes, which were randomized into three groups: (i). active, received DOT; (ii). placebo, received water; and (iii...

The larvae of several species of water mites are ectoparasites on adult mosquitoes, the majority of the mites recorded belonging to the genera Thyas (Thyasidae) and Arrenurus (Arrenuridae). Mullen (1975) presented 238 world-wide records of acarine parasites of mosquitoes but more than half of the observations concerned unidentified or doubtfully identified mites. In Europe parasitism of mosquit...

Like all life on Earth, animals and fungi share a common ancestor, but it’s been a good 1,500,000,000 years since we parted company, and that’s been plenty of time for us to figure out different ways of going about things. Whether we’re a mildew or a marmoset, a chanterelle or a chanticleer, a toadstool or a toad, we all need to respond to the outside world by using regulatory systems that turn...

Color mimicry is often celebrated as one of the most straightforward examples of evolution by natural selection, as striking morphological similarity between species evolves in response to a shared predation pressure. Recently, a large North American mimetic complex was described that included 65 species of Dasymutilla velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). Beyond those 65 species, little is kn...

Mites as parasites infesting fish have been described in a few case reports involving Histiostoma anguillarum, H. papillata, and Schwiebea estradai. We describe the unexpected occurrence of oribatid mites of the genus Trhypochthoniellus on farmed tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. The fish had mites on the skin, fins, and gills, as well as in the mouth. The morphological characteristics of the mite...

Since the introduction of varroa mites (Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman, 2000), the impact of tracheal mites on bees has been largely overshadowed or ignored. Tracheal mites are still present in bees, and may be responsible for some unexplained colony losses. If they cause bee mortality, it is important to be able to identify their presence and at what levels. This paper illustrates a qu...

The effect of imidacloprid on fecundity in twospotted spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch, was investigated in laboratory experiments using individual females on bean leaf discs. Mites were directly exposed to spray formulations of imidacloprid or fed on discs cut from a systemically treated bean plant. Imidacloprid-treated T. urticae produced 10-26% more eggs during the first 12 d of adult ...