Of pointy palps and glowing cheeks: phylogeny of the predatory mite family Cunaxidae

Citation

Schwarzfeld, M. D. and Nowell, V. J. Of pointy palps and glowing cheeks: phylogeny of the predatory mite family Cunaxidae. Oral presentation at the Entomological Society of Canada and Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution Joint Meeting, Fredericton, Aug 19-21, 2019.

Plain language summary

Cunaxidae are a family of small predatory soil mites. The relationships between subfamilies and genera are poorly understood. We used molecular and morphological analyses to construct a phylogeny for the genus.

Abstract

Cunaxidae is a cosmopolitan family of predatory mites, including both active and ambush predators of small arthropods and nematodes. The family currently includes six subfamilies and 27 genera; however, no molecular studies have been conducted to test subfamily or generic monophyly. We are constructing a phylogeny based on COI and 18S, which mostly supports the existing subfamily arrangement – with one surprise. However the generic limits are less clear, and within one subfamily in particular (the Cunaxinae), the genera are clearly in need of revision. This has led to a search for novel morphological characters to help delimit and redefine these genera.

Publication date

2019-08-20

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