Toro-Tabares Diego F, Quintero-Gutiérrez Edwin J, Estévez-Varón Jaime V, Ospina-Bautista Fabiola
Grupo de Investigación en Ecosistemas Tropicales, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 #26-10, Caldas, Manizales, 170004, Colombia.
Instituto Agropecuario Colombiano, Avenida Quebradaseca # 31-39, Bucaramanga, Colombia.
Exp Appl Acarol. 2025 Jul 31;95(2):26. doi: 10.1007/s10493-025-01012-y.
Phytotelmata provide favorable habitats for invertebrates, such as insects and mites. However, previous acarofauna studies on phytotelmata have primarily focused on tree holes, pitcher plants, and bromeliads, leaving other types, such as the leaf axils of aroids, underexplored. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the composition of the acarofauna in the leaf axils of two Araceae species, Xanthosoma daguense Engl. and Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott, as well as establish the aquatic and subaquatic aroid-mite network. For this, we collected mites from the phytotelmata of both species at two sites in the Colombian Central Mountain range. We found 16 morphospecies of mites belonging to the Gamasina, Uropodina, Sejida, Astigmatina, and other Oribatida groups associated with the phytotelmata of aroids. The most common genera identified were Histiostoma sp. and Hormosianoetus sp. (Histiostomatidae, Astigmatina). We reported for the first time the occurrence of Blattisocius dentriticus (Blattisociidae), Cheiroseius mesae (Blattisociidae), Galumna sp., Lucoppia sp., Malaconothrus sp., Oribotritia sp., and Uropodella sp. in phytotelmata, as well as B. dentriticus, Asca sp., Hormosianoetus sp., Lucoppia sp., Malaconothrus sp., and Phthicarus sp. in Colombia. The network exhibited high specialization and modularity; we identified three aroid-mite groups related to the Araceae species by sites. These results suggested that variations in the environmental conditions in the leaf axil and site scales affect the mite community. Thus, these results extend the understanding of phytotelma as habitats for mites, thereby contributing to the knowledge of their role in conserving these taxonomic groups.
积水生境为无脊椎动物，如昆虫和螨类，提供了适宜的栖息地。然而，先前关于积水生境的螨类动物研究主要集中在树洞、猪笼草和凤梨科植物上，而其他类型，如天南星科植物的叶腋，尚未得到充分研究。因此，本研究旨在确定两种天南星科植物大叶黄肉芋（Xanthosoma daguense Engl.）和裂叶黄肉芋（Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott）叶腋中螨类动物的组成，并建立水生和亚水生天南星 - 螨类网络。为此，我们在哥伦比亚中部山脉的两个地点，从这两种植物的积水生境中采集螨类。我们发现了16个螨类形态种，它们属于革螨亚目、尾足螨亚目、寄螨目、粉螨亚目以及与天南星科植物积水生境相关的其他甲螨类群。鉴定出的最常见属为嗜卷叶螨属（Histiostoma sp.）和霍氏螨属（Hormosianoetus sp.）（粉螨科，粉螨亚目）。我们首次报道了食菌螨（Blattisocius dentriticus）（食菌螨科）、梅氏螯绥螨（Cheiroseius mesae）（食菌螨科）、球甲螨属（Galumna sp.）、卢氏甲螨属（Lucoppia sp.）、毛甲螨属（Malaconothrus sp.）、甲螨属（Oribotritia sp.）和尾足螨属（Uropodella sp.）在积水生境中的出现情况，以及食菌螨、阿斯卡螨属（Asca sp.）、霍氏螨属、卢氏甲螨属、毛甲螨属和鳞甲螨属（Phthicarus sp.）在哥伦比亚的出现情况。该网络表现出高度的专业化和模块化；我们按地点确定了与天南星科植物相关的三个天南星 - 螨类群。这些结果表明，叶腋和地点尺度上环境条件的变化会影响螨类群落。因此，这些结果扩展了我们对积水生境作为螨类栖息地的理解，从而有助于了解它们在保护这些分类群中的作用。
