Abstract
We examined the mesostigmatid mites found in four nest chambers of the dung beetle Copris lunaris (Scarabaeidae) in Slovakia. A total of 763 mites was found, belonging to ten species. The most frequent and abundant species were Pelethiphis opacus, Macrocheles copridis, Parasitus copridis, Uropoda copridis, Copriphis pterophilus, and Onchodellus hispani. The nests contained 19 dung balls, each enclosing a beetle pupa. Altogether 472 mites were found in these brood balls. A further 291 mites were found on the parental beetles in the nests. Three mite species were clearly more abundant in brood balls than on parental beetles, and these belonged to the life cycle stage that disperses by phoresy. The mites found in brood balls apparently disperse on the young adult beetles when they emerge. Only Parasitus copridis was more abundant on parental beetles than in brood balls. Different species of mites have developed different strategies for dispersal, as shown by their preferential attachment to either the parental or progeny generations of beetles.
Highlights
The adults and larvae of dung beetles of the family Scarabaeidae are coprophagous, feeding on the excrement of various mammals, mainly large herbivores
Many species of mites that breed in these nest chambers disperse by phoresy on the beetles, as is common for other taxa of dung beetles, but the existence of brood care in the Coprinae means that the mites have the unusual opportunity of access to both the parental and progeny generations of beetles
The purpose of this paper is to review the diversity of Mesostigmata obtained from subterranean nests of Copris lunaris in Slovakia, and to examine how the dispersal behaviour of different species of mites is related to the reproductive behaviour of their host beetles
Summary
The adults and larvae of dung beetles of the family Scarabaeidae are coprophagous, feeding on the excrement of various mammals, mainly large herbivores. Because of the temporally and spatially isolated nature of dung pads, these mites often disperse by phoresy on coprophilous insects that have similar habitat requirements (Krantz, 1983) Phoresy of this type requires behavioural and life history adaptations to ensure that the dispersal stage of the mite is available and active at the time when the carrier insect is ready to leave a local habitat patch. These adaptations have become especially complex in the case of mites associated with dung beetles of the subfamily Coprinae, which demonstrate a high level of parental brood care. Many species of mites that breed in these nest chambers disperse by phoresy on the beetles, as is common for other taxa of dung beetles, but the existence of brood care in the Coprinae means that the mites have the unusual opportunity of access to both the parental and progeny generations of beetles
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