''Deuterosminthurus bisetosus'' is a species of
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 ...
discovered living on the
broom
A broom (also known in some forms as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. I ...
''
Genista hispanica
''Genista hispanica'', the Spanish gorse, or anlaga, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to southern France and northern Spain. It is suited for borders, wall and rock gardens, gravelly soils, and coastal situations.
...
'' in the
autonomous community
eu, autonomia erkidegoa
ca, comunitat autònoma
gl, comunidade autónoma
oc, comunautat autonòma
an, comunidat autonoma
ast, comunidá autónoma
, alt_name =
, map =
, category = Autonomous administra ...
of
Navarre
Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
.
This small globular springtail (up to 1.4 mm in length) is yellow, usually, though not always, with variable reddish-brown markings on its back. Around 10% of the examples observed have been found to be host to a new species of red
mite
Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...
which has been named ''
Polydiscia deuterosminthurus
''Polydiscia deuterosminthurus'' is a species of mite recently discovered in the autonomous community of Navarre in Spain.
Only the six-legged larval stage is so far known. This lives as a parasite on the springtail '' Deuterosminthurus bisetos ...
''. These mites, which ride on the back of their hosts attached just behind the head, are clearly a major burden as they average a third of the length of ''D. bisetosus''.
This springtail has been observed on its host plant in May and June but leaves it as the air temperature rises (springtails of this type are especially susceptible to
desiccation
Desiccation () is the state of extreme dryness, or the process of extreme drying. A desiccant is a hygroscopic (attracts and holds water) substance that induces or sustains such a state in its local vicinity in a moderately sealed container.
...
). Where these creatures (and their
parasite
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...
s) spend the rest of the year has yet to be discovered.
References
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5266254
Collembola
Animals described in 2003
Arthropods of Europe