Tropilaelaps
Genus of mites
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tropilaelaps is a genus of parasitic mites in the family Laelapidae.[1] Their range spans the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Pakistan. T. mercedesae has now established a foothold in Europe with verified reports in the Krasnodar region, Western Russia.[2] Their primary hosts are the larva of Apis dorsata and Apis laboriosa, although after Apis mellifera was imported to Asia, they were found to also be suitable hosts for two species of Tropilaelaps, T. clareae and T. mercedesae.[3] Species can be identified by DNA analysis. They are considered a major economic threat to the beekeeping industry.[4]
| Tropilaelaps | |
|---|---|
| |
| Tropilaelaps mites on European honey bee larvae | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Mesostigmata |
| Family: | Laelapidae |
| Genus: | Tropilaelaps Delfinado & Baker, 1961 |
Tropilaelaps are ectoparasites that reduce the lifespans of individual bees and reduce their overall health and wellbeing by depriving them of nutrients and inflicting injuries. Evidence of Tropilaelaps presence in a hive might include deformed wings or legs on honey bees.[5]
Species
- Tropilaelaps mercedesae Delfinado & Baker, 1961
- Tropilaelaps clareae Delfinado & Baker, 1961
- Tropilaelaps koenigerum Delfinado-Baker & Baker, 1982
- Tropilaelaps thaii Anderson & Morgan, 2007
External links
- https://beeaware.org.au/archive-pest/tropilaelaps-2 Tropilaelaps mites
- https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Tropi-Full-Primer.pdf
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00218839.2025.2495393?af=R#abstract The western honey bee, Apis mellifera, faces a new threat from the spread of parasitic Tropilaelaps (Tropi) mites...