Studies on Histiostomatid Mites (Acari, Astigmata) Associated with the Burying Beetle, Nicrophorus concolor Kraatz (Coleoptera, Silphidae), I

A New Sampling Protocol for the Endangered American Burying Beetle, Nicrophorus Americanus Olivier (coleoptera: Silphidae)

The endangered American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus Olivier, presently occurs in small and widely scattered areas on the periphery of its former range. As part of the recovery plan for this insect implemented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), we conducted surveys in Nebraska to ascertain its presence. Additionally, we examined various trapping methods and procedures in t...

New MacrochelePratums species (Acari, Mesostigmata, Macrochelidae) associated with burying beetles (Silphidae, Nicrophorus) in North America

Burying beetles (Silphidae, Nicrophorus) are hosts to a broad diversity of mites (Acari), including several species of Macrocheles Latreille, 1829 (Mesostigmata, Macrochelidae). The macrochelid fauna associated with silphids primarily in North America was surveyed; in total, 1659 macrochelids representing seven species were collected from 112 Nicrophorus beetles representing nine host species. ...

Distribution, ecology, and population dynamics of the American burying beetle [<i>Nicrophorus americanus</i> Olivier (Coleoptera, Silphidae)] in south-central Nebraska, USA

The Genome and Methylome of a Beetle with Complex Social Behavior, Nicrophorus vespilloides (Coleoptera: Silphidae)

Testing for conserved and novel mechanisms underlying phenotypic evolution requires a diversity of genomes available for comparison spanning multiple independent lineages. For example, complex social behavior in insects has been investigated primarily with eusocial lineages, nearly all of which are Hymenoptera. If conserved genomic influences on sociality do exist, we need data from a wider ran...

Diversity of feather mites (Acari: Astigmata) on Darwin's finches.

Feather mites are a diverse group of ectosymbionts that occur on most species of birds. Although Darwin's finches are a well-studied group of birds, relatively little is known about their feather mites. Nearly 200 birds across 9 finch species, and from 2 locations on Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos, were dust-ruffled during the 2009 breeding season. We found 8 genera of feather mites; the most pre...