Mite dilemma: molting to acquire sexual maturity or not molting to ensure durability and dispersal ability in Phorytocarpais fimetorum (Parasitiformes; Gamasida; Parasitidae)

Dispersal from birthplace is an effective strategy to cope up with unpredictable environmental change. In many animals, dispersal carried out prior mating and reproduction avoid inbreeding. However, this also means that the dispersers must find mates in new habitat. Phorytocarpais fimetorum (= former name Parasitus fimetorum) a free-living predatory mite inhabiting animal dung manure. such ephemeral habitats, mites quickly develop egg deutonymph as environmentally tolerant, stage via larva protonymph stages. After habitats utilizing beetles phoretic hosts, deutonymphs have decide whether molt adulthood by losing their tolerance migration ability or not continue dispersal. Here, using molt-suppressing were obtained under isolated conditions, I investigated food conditions (amount of rearing medium bearing nematodes prey) encounters conspecifics stimulate molting. A drastic increase resources induced molting both sexes, but responses pairing treatment different between sexes. Whereas female molted at encounter males regardless they adults, male was only (not adult females). Because females are usually nonvirgin already started oviposition, seemed discriminate against them. The decision about understandable mate choice, which adaptive limited opportunities environments.