Highlight—Tiny, Unseeing Mite Defies Expectations

Highlight—Tiny, Unseeing Mite Defies Expectations

For those who love and study insects and arachnids, they can see the underappreciated wonders of the biological realm. In the face of so much diversity, so much remains to be discovered. A recent study in Genome Biology Evolution is a case in point. Researchers sequencing the genome of a mite have found what might seem stranger than fiction: a mite that has retained genes important to sight, de...

Samara Reck-Peterson: Dynein defies expectations

T here are 14 different dyneins in the human genome, but 13 of these are found in cilia and fl agella. Just one—cytoplasmic dynein 1—handles the bulk of minus end–directed microtubule trafficking for organelles, vesicles, and other cargoes. It is only recently that scientists have started to understand this motor better, and, surprisingly, they have discovered that how it walks can be quite ran...

Deep genetic divergences in Aoraki denticulata (Arachnida, Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi): a widespread 'mite harvestman' defies DNA taxonomy.

Aoraki denticulata (Arachnida, Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi, Pettalidae), a widespread 'mite harvestman' endemic to the South Island of New Zealand, is found in leaf littler habitats throughout Nelson and Marlborough, and as far south as Arthur's Pass. We investigated the phylogeography and demographic history of A. denticulata in the first genetic population-level study within Opiliones. A total o...

Terrorism: behavior defies psychiatric diagnosis.

Bird Mite Infestation

Mites in the genus Dermanyssus are external parasites of birds, rodents and other mammals. The most common member of this group is the Chicken Mite that infests poultry roosts and wild bird nests. The chicken mite feeds primarily at night when the birds return the nest or roast area. They hide during the day in nearby cracks, crevices and other protected sites. These mites are known to infest h...