Biology of the oribatid mite Acrotritia clavata (Märkel, 1964) from the mangrove ecosystems of North Kerala, India

Abstract

In this study, the development of the oribatid mite species Acrotritia clavata (Märkel, 1964) was studied for the first time under laboratory conditions in 2015. The postembryonic development was documented in plastic culture cells with a base of plaster of Paris-charcoal mixture (4:1 ratio) at room temperature of 28±2°C and relative humidity (RH) of 79±2%. The total duration of the life stages of A. clavata from egg to adult was 61-72 days in saline water (pH 7.9) collected from its natural habitat, which was used for rearing. Morphological features of all juvenile stages were studied. The present study revealed the morphology of all the juvenile stages and the duration of post-embryonic development of A. clavata collected from the mangrove ecosystem of North Kerala, India.

Keywords

• Juveniles
• mangrove
• Oribatida
• pneumatophores
• biology
• larviposition
• moulting

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