Cunaxidae is a family of predatory mites in the order

Trombidiformes The Trombidiformes are a large, diverse order of mites. Taxonomy In 1998, Trombidiformes was divided into the Sphaerolichida and the Prostigmata. The group has few synapomorphies by which it can be defined, unlike the other major group of aca ...

. There are at least 20 genera and 390 described species in Cunaxidae.

Description

Cunaxidae have diamond-shaped bodies. Adults and nymphs have 4 pairs of 7-segmented legs, while larvae have 3 pairs of 6-segmented legs. Dorsally, they have 1 proterosomal shield (usually with 2 pairs of

seta In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms. Animal setae Protostomes Annelid setae are stiff bristles present on the body. Th ...

e and 2 pairs of setose sensilla), 0-2 hysterosomal shields and 0-4 pairs of hysterosomal platelets. The body surface around these shields and platelets is striated. Ventrally, the leg coxae are fused to the body to form plates, and in adults the coxae of the first two leg pairs are often fused as are the coxae of the last two leg pairs. At the front of the body is the

gnathosoma The gnathosoma (from Greek , ' = "jaw" and , ' = "body") is the part of the body of the Acari (mites and ticks) comprising the mouth and feeding parts. These are the hypostome, the chelicerae and the pedipalps. It is also called the capitulum (howe ...

(mouthparts), which has a pair of pedipalps (usually ending in strong claws), a pair of chelicerae and a wedge-shaped

subcapitulum The subcapitulum (from Latin ''sub'', "under", and ''capitulum'', "small head"), also known as infracapitulum, hypognathum or hipognatum, refers to the ventral part of the gnathosoma (the part of the body comprising the mouth and feeding parts) or ...

Distribution

The family has a

cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Such a taxon, usually a species, is said to exhibit cosmopolitanism or cosmopolitism. The ext ...

, being found on all continents except

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

Ecology

Cunaxidae can be found in most terrestrial habitats including on vegetation, in soil and

leaf litter Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituent ...

, vertebrate nests, animal debris, tree cavities, house dust and stored food products. Individual species are generally restricted to specific habitats. All cunaxids are thought to be opportunistic

predators Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...

, attacking various prey including

bark lice Psocoptera are a paraphyletic group of insects that are commonly known as booklice, barklice or barkflies. The name Psocoptera has been replaced with Psocodea in recent literature, with the inclusion of the former order Phthiraptera into Psocode ...

springtail Springtails (Collembola) form the largest of the three lineages of modern hexapods that are no longer considered insects (the other two are the Protura and Diplura). Although the three orders are sometimes grouped together in a class called Ento ...

thrips Thrips ( order Thysanoptera) are minute (mostly long or less), slender insects with fringed wings and unique asymmetrical mouthparts. Different thrips species feed mostly on plants by puncturing and sucking up the contents, although a few are ...

scale insect Scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient grouping than the ...

nematode The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-Parasitism, parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhab ...

s and other mites. They may act as ambush predators (e.g. ''Armascirus'' and ''Dactyloscirus'') or actively search for their prey (e.g. ''Allocunaxa''). They cannot survive when only given access to plant material. An undescribed species of ''Rubroscirus'' was observed drinking honeydew in addition to eating live prey. Cunaxids spin silk for various purposes such as protecting their eggs, constructing

moulting In biology, moulting (British English), or molting (American English), also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis, is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often, but not always, an outer ...

chambers and capturing prey. The family appears to be active year-round. For example, ''Neocunaxoides'' have been collected throughout the year in areas with hot humid summers and cold dry winters.

Biological control potential

Cunaxidae are known to feed on pests of agricultural plants. However, the effects they have on prey populations have yet to be rigorously studied.

Description

Distribution

Ecology

Biological control potential

Genera

References

Further reading