Life cycle of the mite Podocinum sagax (Mesostigmata: Podocinidae) on two distinct prey: the free-living nematode Rhabditella axei (Rhabditidae) and the mite Thyreophagus cracentiseta (Astigmata: Acaridae)
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the life cycle of Podocinum sagax (Berlese) (Mesostigmata: Podocinidae) preying upon the free-living nematode Rhabditella axei (Cobbold), or the mite Thyreophagus cracentiseta Barbosa, OConnor and Moraes, at 25 ± 2 °C, 95 ± 5% RH, and in the dark. The total immature development (egg-adult) of P. sagax was completed in approximately eight days on either of the respective prey, with high survivorship rates (≥ 74%). The larvae did not feed and lacked an evident anal opening, suggesting that this loss or reduction is developmentally associated with aphagy and the extremely brief larval phase (approximately 0.4–0.6 days). The adult longevity of P. sagax ranged from 14.9–16.2 for males and 18.4–23.2 for females. Daily oviposition rate (0.8–1.1 egg/female/day) and intrinsic rate of increase (0.163–0.228 female/female/day) of P. sagax were about the same on both prey, with no significant difference observed. Given the limited knowledge of the behavioral and ecological aspects of Podocinidae, this study provides a valuable contribution to understanding the family’s biology. It has important implications for further research on related environmental topics for the species P. sagax.
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BibTeX
@article{gonzalezcano2026life,
title = {{Life cycle of the mite Podocinum sagax (Mesostigmata: Podocinidae) on two distinct prey: the free-living nematode Rhabditella axei (Rhabditidae) and the mite Thyreophagus cracentiseta (Astigmata: Acaridae)}},
author = {Lina Marcela González-Cano and Lucas Lorena Godoy and Jandir Cruz Santos and Gilberto José de Moraes and Raphael de Campos Castilho},
journal = {Acarologia},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.24349/vt72-pyyz},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05752288v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Life cycle of the mite Podocinum sagax (Mesostigmata: Podocinidae) on two distinct prey: the free-living nematode Rhabditella axei (Rhabditidae) and the mite Thyreophagus cracentiseta (Astigmata: Acaridae)
AU - Lina Marcela González-Cano
AU - Lucas Lorena Godoy
AU - Jandir Cruz Santos
AU - Gilberto José de Moraes
AU - Raphael de Campos Castilho
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/09
JO - Acarologia
DO - 10.24349/vt72-pyyz
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05752288v1
AB - This study aimed to evaluate the life cycle of Podocinum sagax (Berlese) (Mesostigmata: Podocinidae) preying upon the free-living nematode Rhabditella axei (Cobbold), or the mite Thyreophagus cracentiseta Barbosa, OConnor and Moraes, at 25 ± 2 °C, 95 ± 5% RH, and in the dark. The total immature development (egg-adult) of P. sagax was completed in approximately eight days on either of the respective prey, with high survivorship rates (≥ 74%). The larvae did not feed and lacked an evident anal opening, suggesting that this loss or reduction is developmentally associated with aphagy and the extremely brief larval phase (approximately 0.4–0.6 days). The adult longevity of P. sagax ranged from 14.9–16.2 for males and 18.4–23.2 for females. Daily oviposition rate (0.8–1.1 egg/female/day) and intrinsic rate of increase (0.163–0.228 female/female/day) of P. sagax were about the same on both prey, with no significant difference observed. Given the limited knowledge of the behavioral and ecological aspects of Podocinidae, this study provides a valuable contribution to understanding the family’s biology. It has important implications for further research on related environmental topics for the species P. sagax.
SN - 0044-586X
SN - 2107-7207
ER -