Comprehensive phylogeny of acariform mites (Acariformes) provides insights on the origin of the four-legged mites (Eriophyoidea), a long branch

Abstract

Eriophyoid, or four-legged mites, represent a large and ancient radiation of exclusively phytophagous organisms known from the Triassic (230 Mya). Hypothesizing phylogenetic relatedness of Eriophyoidea among mites is a major challenge due to the absence of unambiguous morphological synapomorphies, resulting in ten published hypotheses placing eriophyoids in various places in the acariform tree of life. Here we test the evolutionary relationships of eriophyoids using six genes and a representative taxonomic sampling of acariform mites. The total evidence analysis places eriophyoids as the sister group of the deep soil-dwelling, vermiform family Nematalycidae (Endeostigmata). This arrangement was supported by the rDNA and CO1 partitions. In contrast, the nuclear protein partition (genes EF1-α, SRP54, HSP70) suggests that Eriophyoidea is sister to a lineage including Tydeidae, Ereynetidae, and Eupodidae (Eupodina: Trombidiformes). On both of these alternative topologies, eriophyoids appear as a long branch, probably involving the loss of basal diversity in early evolution. We analyze this result by using phylogenetically explicit hypothesis testing, investigating the phylogenetic signal from individual genes and rDNA stem and loop regions, and removing long branches and rogue taxa. Regardless of the two alternative placements, (i) the cheliceral morphology of eriophyoids, one of the traits deemed phylogenetically important, was likely derived directly from the plesiomorphic acariform chelicerae rather than from the modified chelicerae of some trombidiform lineages with a reduced fixed digit; and (ii) two potential synapomorphies of Eriophyoidea+Raphignathina (Trombidiformes) related to the reduction of genital papillae and to the terminal position of PS segment can be dismissed as result of convergent evolution. Our analyses substantially narrow the remaining available hypotheses on eriophyoid relationships and provide insights on the early evolution of acariform mites.

DNA barcodes expose unexpected diversity in Canadian mites

“…The observed and estimated BIN richness values for each order were compared with expected species richness following the taxonomy used by Beaulieu et al () with two exceptions. Beaulieu et al () placed the Eriophyoidea within the Endeostigmata (Sarcoptiformes) following Klimov et al (), while we retained the conventional placement of this superfamily within the Trombidiformes (Krantz & Walter, ). Secondly, we retained the Eutromibidiidae as a distinct family (C. Welbourn, personal communication) while Beaulieu et al () merged it with the Mircrotrombidiidae.…”

Advancing mite phylogenomics: Designing ultraconserved elements for Acari phylogeny

“…While the number of molecular phylogenetic studies on Acari is growing, the majority are based on intrafamilial relationships (Domes, Norton, Maraun, & Scheu, ; Dowling & OConnor, ; Hendricks, Flannery, & Spicer, ; Klimov & OConnor, ; Klimov & OConnor, ; Murrell, Campbell, & Barker, ; Maraun et al ; Mans, de Klerk, Pienaar, de Castro, & Latif, ; Pachl et al, ). A number of taxa‐rich phylogenetic studies have addressed the evolutionary relationships within the major mite lineages Acariformes and Parasitiformes based primarily on ribosomal and mitochondrial DNA (Dabert et al, ; Klimov et al, ; Klompen, Lekveishvili, & Black, ; Murrell et al, ; Pepato & Klimov, ; Pepato et al, ). These studies present conflicting frameworks of the higher‐level relationships that have yet to be tested by large‐scale phylogenomic data.…”

Experimental and molecular approximation to microbial niche: trophic interactions between oribatid mites and microfungi in an oligotrophic freshwater system

“… The CCB oribatid mite sequences cluster together, forming a distant lineage from known Trhypochthoniellus oribatid taxa ( Klimov et al, 2018 and NCBI retrieved sequences included). Bootstrap support for nodes with values higher than 50 percent are indicated.…”

“…Sequences were manually edited and trimmed using BioEdit software (v7.0.5; Hall, 2005 ). Using a BLAST-n analysis, closely related NCBI sequences were selected to compute a phylogenetic reconstruction including analogous oribatid species and external taxonomic categories as previously reported by Klimov et al (2018) . Phylogenetic placement of the CCB mites was determined according to a Maximum-Likelihood (ML, 1,000 bootstrap) analysis run in RAxML v.8.2.10 ( Stamatakis, Hoover & Rougemont, 2008 ) using GTRCAT model; Cryptocellus sp.…”