Locustacarus buchneri
Species of mite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Locustacarus buchneri is a parasitic mite that lives in the respiratory air sacs of bumblebees.[2] They are relatively host-specific and are found primarily in the subgenus Bombus sensu stricto. Bees infested with the mite have a reduced lifespan in laboratory conditions,[3] and although in one study they foraged at a rate similar to uninfected bees, infected bees showed a greater preference for a single flower type.[4] Prevalence varies, but infection appears to be more common among commercial colonies than wild populations. Among colonies commercially imported from the Netherlands and Belgium to Japan, infestation rates were 20%.[5] In South America, prevalence is very low in native populations.[6] In Canada, there was evidence that commercial bumblebee populations were spreading L. buchneri to wild populations.[7]
| Locustacarus buchneri | |
|---|---|
| |
| Larviform female, dorsal view | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Trombidiformes |
| Family: | Podapolipidae |
| Genus: | Locustacarus |
| Species: | L. buchneri |
| Binomial name | |
| Locustacarus buchneri (Stammer, 1951) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Bombacarus buchneri Stammer, 1951 | |
