Common Beetle Mite

Acrotritia ardua

General Status Rank: 
Undetermined
ELCODE: 
ILACA0C070
Common Name: 
Common Beetle Mite
Scientific Name: 
Acrotritia ardua
Synonyms: 
Arduous Beetle Mite
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Taxonomy
Group: 
Oribatid Mites
Kingdom: 
Animalia
Phylum: 
Arthropoda
Class: 
Arachnida
Order: 
Oribatida
Family: 
Euphthiracaridae
Habitat
Peatlands, including muskeg. Deciduous litter, coniferous litter, grassland litter, moss, debris from inside beaver house, sedge at edge of lake, phoretic on beetle.
References: 
B2024003
Distribution

Distribution

Species collected in Taiga Shield (Yellowknife). This species is widespread (semi-cosmopolitan) in adjacent provinces including boreal and shield.
Score: 
G

Number of Occurrences

Historical record. Known from one locality record in 1952 (Hammer 1952).
Score: 
U
Threats

Intrinsic Vulnerability

Most oribatid mites are K-selected (Norton 1994) meaning they have stable populations with long generation times, low metabolic rates, slow development, low fertility, iteroparity, and adults are long-lived. They are also slow to disperse/recolonize due to their small size (0.3 - 2.1 cm per day; Lehmitz et al. 2012), which also means they cannot move out of harm's way during a disturbance event.
Score: 
AB
General Status Rank
Rank: 
Undetermined
S Rank: 
SU
Decision Process Description: 
Rank developed by L. Lumley in 2022 in preparation for 2025 general status ranks. Rank reviewed by S. Carriere for NWT in spring 2024.
Last Updated: 
June 1, 2024

References

Habitat

  • Behan-Pelletier, V.M. & Lindo, Z. (2019) Checklist of oribatid mites (Acari : Oribatida) of Canada and Alaska. Magnolia Press Zootaxa 4666(1): 001-180 - B2024003 Return