Orlando Combita

University of Washington Seattle | UW · Department of Biology

Primary and secondary sexual characters of Mesostigmata are often used in species descriptions and phylogenetic analyses. The use of these characters has been focused almost exclusively on external structures such as the male chelicera and genital plates, while internal structures have only been utilized for lightly sclerotized species.

Chelicerae of most Parasitiform mites have retained the same general set of plesiomorphic structures and functions. For mesostigmatid mites this represents grabbing, cutting, piercing and, in the males of some groups, transferring sperm (Di Palma 2009).

Synchrotron X-ray microtomography (SR-mCT) is a noninvasive technique that has the potential to reduce our knowledge gap on the internal morphology of mites. This technique allows for the creation of three-dimensional representations of organisms and is particularly relevant to taxonomy, evolution, systematics, ecology, and biodiversity.

Studies of female genital structures have generally lagged behind comparable studies of male genitalia, in part because of an assumption of a lower level of variability, but also because internal genitalia are much more difficult to study. Using multiple microscopy techniques, including video stereomicroscopy, fluorescence microscopy, low-temperatu...

Herein, we update the diagnosis and description of the genus Krantzolaspina Datta & Bhattacharjee and provide a list of the three valid species including new combinations and synonyms, as follows: 1) Krant-zolaspina angustatus (Ishikawa, 1987) comb. nov. (= Indutolaelaps jiroftensis Hajizadeh et al., 2017 syn. nov.), 2) K. rebatii Datta & Bhattacha...

Biological invasions impact both agricultural and natural systems. The damage can be quantified in terms of both economic loss and reduction of biodiversity. Although the literature is quite rich about the impact of invasive species on plant and animal communities, their impact on environmental microbiomes is underexplored. Here, we re-analyze publ...

Seven species of mites were found associated with the dung beetle Oxysternum conspicillatum in Colombia. Macrocheles neotransversus sp. nov. based on adults and the male of Macrocheles magna are described. Both species belong to the mitis species-group (Holocelaeno). Macrocheles boxi, M. phanaei, M. roquensis and Glyptholaspis confusa are reported...

Biological invasions impact both agricultural and natural systems. The damage can be quantified in terms of both economic loss and reduction of biodiversity. Although the literature is quite rich about the impact of invasive species on plant and animal communities, their impact on environmental microbiomes is underexplored. Here, we re-analyze publ...

A new species of blattisociid mites Lasioseius orangrimbae n. sp., that belongs to the floridensis-group, is described based on females and males from litter and soil samples of secondary rainforest in Sumatra, Indonesia.

Aspects of life history and host interactions of Megalolaelaps colossus were studied in a laboratory environment. These mites appear to require a host for survival, but hosts do not survive very long in a laboratory setting, leading to a modified rearing protocol relying on regular host replacement. Specific data on phenology and incidence are repo...

A species of laelapid mite, Ololaelaps formidabilis, is redescribed based on male and female adults from soil in Sumatra, Indonesia. This species is distinguished from other Ololaelaps species by its metapodal platelet narrowly fused with the parapodal plate and by its hologastric shield having two inverted-V-like ridges. The genus is redescribed b...

Post-embryonic development of Megalolaelaps colossus sp. nov., is described and illustrated. This unusually large species of mite is closely associated with the dung beetle Oxysternon conspicillatum (Weber) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Colombia. All instars of the mite occur on the beetle, except for the larva. This is the first description of all...

Show new species from Caldas, Colombia

This book brings together the texts of the invited speakers at the II Congreso Latinoamericano de Acarologia (II Latin American Acarology Congress) held at the Hotel Las Camelias, Montenegro, Quindío, Colombia, from May 27 to 31, 2016. During the congress our objective was to show the advances in Acarology in each one of the Latin American countrie...

In this book are the texts of the papers presented at the II Congreso Latinoamericano de Acarologia (II Latin American Congress of Acarology) held at the Las Camelias Hotel, Montenegro, Quindío, Colombia, from May 27 to 31, 2016. In the congress our objective was to show the advances in the Acarology in each of the Latin American countries and in...

Natural history collections are one of the most important resources for research in biological sciences. Their importance is not only in the actual specimens of invertebrates or vertebrates, but also in their associates. Properly preserved host specimens can be a major source for data on associated species, which in turn can provide added informati...

Balaustium leanderi (Haitlinger, 2000) comb. nov. (Actinotrichida: Erythraeidae), previously known only from the larval stage is re-described based on material originating from a laboratory culture of specimens collected in Colombia. This is also the first report of Balaustium leanderi (Haitlinger, 2000) in this country. The taxonomic characters of...

Los ácaros y coleópteros debido a sus similitudes ecológicas, han formado en muchos casos una relación simbiótica de tipo “forética” (transporte) esto debido a factores fisiólogos y/o ambientales. El objetivo de este trabajo fue describir la acarofauna asociada a Oxysternon conspicillatum en un agroecosistemas del eje cafetero. Se colectaron 40 ind...

PONENCIA RESUMEN Los ácaros y coleópteros debido a sus similitudes ecológicas, han formado una relación simbiótica de tipo " forética " (transporte), en la que un organismo más grande es utilizado por uno más pequeño para suplir sus necesidades de dispersión. Hay casos en los que un animal (ácaro) que se transporta foréticamente en un insecto (Cole...

Los ácaros y coleópteros debido a sus similitudes ecológicas, han formado una relación simbiótica de tipo “forética” (transporte), en la que un organismo más grande es utilizado por uno más pequeño para suplir sus necesidades de dispersión. Hay casos en los que un animal (ácaro) que se transporta foréticamente en un insecto (Coleóptero), lleva a ot...

Los Coleópteros y ácaros debido a sus similitudes ecológicas, han formado en muchos casos una relación simbiótica de tipo ¿“forética”? (transporte). Esta simbiosis se establece principalmente con fines de dispersión por parte de los ácaros y en algunos casos esta asociación se presenta para suplir necesidades fisiológicas y/o por deterioros ambient...