Ectoparasitism of the Flightless and by the Mite (Acari: Blattisociidae).

Predatory mites dispersing by means of insects are often ectoparasites and may use various tactics to get onto the host, counteract its defenses, and diminish its survival. is a promising biological control agent which has been reported as transported by several drosophilid species. Our goal was to determine the type of relationship between this mite and fruit flies. We used flightless females of and , which were commercially raised as live pet food. The predatory females mostly attacked the tarsi of the flies and then preferentially moved to the cervix or close to coxa III, where they eventually drilled their chelicerae and started feeding. Although both fly species used similar defensive tactics, more females did not attack or did so with a delay, and a higher percentage of mites fell off the tarsi during the first hour of observation. After 24 h, we noted the increased mortality of flies exposed to the presence of mites. Our study indicates the ectoparasitic relationship of with drosophilids. However, further research is needed to confirm the transport of this mite on wild and both in the laboratory and under natural conditions.