| Tuckerella Temporal range: Palaeogene–present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N | |
|---|---|
| |
| False-colour scanning elecron micrograph of Tuckerella sp., magnified 260 times | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Trombidiformes |
| Superfamily: | Tetranychoidea |
| Family: | Tuckerellidae Baker & Pritchard, 1953 |
| Genus: | Tuckerella Womersley, 1940 |
The peacock mites of the genus Tuckerella (the only genus of the mite family Tuckerellidae) are a significant herbivorous pest in the tropics, for example on citrus fruit. Other species dwell in grasses, possibly as root feeders.
The peacock mite's name suggests that their feather-like (or leaf-like) setae adorning their backs are evocative of a peacock's plumage. They also have long hair-like setae projecting from rear (caudal setae) that have been compared to a trailing peacock tail. The 5–7 pairs of caudal setae can be flicked over the body very quickly, so they are used like whips in defense against predators. They may also help in wind-borne dispersal.
They are classified in the superfamily Tetranychoidea, being its most ornate members.
Species
- Tuckerella anommata Smith-Meyer & Ueckermann, 1997 (South Africa)
- Tuckerella channabasavannai Mallik & Kumar, 1992 (host: Saraca indica; Andhra Pradesh)
- Tuckerella eloisae Servin & Otero, 1989 (host: Fouquieria diguetii; Mexico)
- Tuckerella filipina Corpuz-Raros, 2001 (host: Hydnocarpus sp.: Philippines)
- Tuckerella hainanensis Lin & Fu, 1997 (host: Coffea arabica; Hainan)
- Tuckerella jianfengensis Lin & Fu, 1997 (host: Annona muricata; Jianfengling, Hainan)
- Tuckerella kumaonensis Gupta, 1979 (India)
- Tuckerella litoralis Collyer, 1969
- Tuckerella nilotica Zaher & Rasmy, 1970 (Egypt)
- Tuckerella ornatus (Tucker, 1926) – type species
- Tuckerella xiamenensis Lin, 1982 (host: Manilkara zapota)
- Tuckerella xinglongensis Lin-Yanmou & Fu-Yuegua, 1997 (hosts: Polyscias fruticosa var. plumata and Camellia sinensis; Hainan)
- †Tuckerella fossilibus Khaustov, Sergeyenko & Perkovsky 2014 (Rovno amber)
- †Tuckerella weiterschani Sidorchuk & Khaustov, 2018 (Baltic amber)
References
- ^ Walter, David Evans; Proctor, Heather (2013). Mites: Ecology, Evolution & Behaviour. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 292. ISBN 978-94-007-7164-2.
- ^ D.E. Walter (University of Queensland) (2005-09-28). ""Peacock mites" Tuckerellidae". United States Department of Agriculture.
- Vacante, Vincenzo (2010). Citrus Mites. Cabi. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-84593-499-6.
- David Evans Walter (2004). "Hidden in plain sight: mites in the canopy". In Margaret Lowman & H. Bruce Rinker (ed.). Forest Canopies. Academic Press. pp. 224–241. ISBN 978-0-12-457553-0.
- ^ Zhang, Zhi-qiang; Hong, Xiao-yue; Fan, Qing-hai (2010). Progress in Chinese Acarology. Magnolia Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-86977-545-2.
- "Index of the Described Animalia of the World: Tuckerellidae". Texas A&M University.
- A.A. Khaustov; A.L. Sergeyenko; E.E. Perkovsky (2014). "First fossil record of mites of the family Tuckerellidae (Acari: Tetranychoidea) from Rovno amber with description of a new species". International Journal of Acarology. 40 (5): 367–369. Bibcode:2014IJAca..40..367K. doi:10.1080/01647954.2014.933253. S2CID 84956169.
- Ekaterina A. Sidorchuk; Alexander A. Khaustov (2018). "Two Eocene species of peacock mites (Acari: Tetranychoidea: Tuckerellidae)". Acarologia. 58 (1): 99–115. doi:10.24349/acarologia/20184228.
External links
Data related to Tuckerella at Wikispecies
| Acari (ticks and mites) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acariformes |
|  | |||||||
| Parasitiformes |
| ||||||||
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Tuckerella | |
 | This Trombidiformes article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
 | This agriculture article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |