Have mites (Acarina: Arachnida) colonised Antarctica and the islands of the Southern Ocean via air currents?
Mites (Acarina: Arachnida) have not colonised Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands by ballooning on air currents. All acarine records from Pacific and Southern Ocean aerial plankton represent dead coastal (hemi)-edaphic species or phoretics dislodged from their flying insect hosts. The few sub-A...
Published in: | Polar Record |
---|---|
Main Author: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
2003
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247403003097 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247403003097 |
Summary: | Mites (Acarina: Arachnida) have not colonised Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands by ballooning on air currents. All acarine records from Pacific and Southern Ocean aerial plankton represent dead coastal (hemi)-edaphic species or phoretics dislodged from their flying insect hosts. The few sub-Antarctic records of mites capable of ‘ballooning’ on air currents are all verified as being attributed to anthropogenic introductions. |
---|