Unionicola
Unionicola is a genus of freshwater arachnids, specifically water mites, belonging to the family Unionicolidae. The genus was described in 1842 by Samuel Stehman Haldeman. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution. Most Unionicola are associated with molluscs, but Unionicola crassipes and Unionicola minor are associated with sponges of family Spongillidae. The association with mussels can be described as symbiotic. There is evidence that mites consume host tissue and can be associated with reduced host fitness, although the causal direction of the latter remains unclear. Species include the following: Unionicola gracilipalpis Unionicola figuralis Unionicola crassipes Unionicola aculeata Unionicola ypsilophora (Bonz, 1783)
| Unionicola | |
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| Larva of Unionicola crassipes | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Trombidiformes |
| Family: | Unionicolidae |
| Genus: | Unionicola Haldeman, 1842[1] |
Unionicola is a genus of freshwater arachnids, specifically water mites, belonging to the family Unionicolidae.[2][3] The genus was described in 1842 by Samuel Stehman Haldeman.[1][2] The genus has cosmopolitan distribution.[2]
Most Unionicola are associated with molluscs, but Unionicola crassipes and Unionicola minor are associated with sponges of family Spongillidae.[4] The association with mussels can be described as symbiotic. There is evidence that mites consume host tissue[5] and can be associated with reduced host fitness, although the causal direction of the latter remains unclear.[6]
Species include the following:
- Unionicola gracilipalpis
- Unionicola figuralis
- Unionicola crassipes
- Unionicola aculeata
- Unionicola ypsilophora (Bonz, 1783)[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Haldeman, Samuel Stehman (1842). On some species of Hydrachnidae. Zoological Contributions. Vol. 1. Philadelphia. pp. 1–6 [1].
- ^ a b c "Unionicola Haldeman, 1842". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Unionicola Halderman, 1842". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ Davids, C.; Crowell, R. M.; de Groot, C. J. (1985). "The developmental cycles of two co-occurring sponge mites Unionicola crassipes (Müller) and Unionicola minor (Soar) (Acari, Hydrachnellae)". Hydrobiologia. 122 (3): 199–205. doi:10.1007/BF00018279. S2CID 2879331.
- ^ Fisher, Ginger R.; Dimock, Ronald V.; Kuhn, Raymond E. (2000). "The symbiotic water mite Unionicola formosa (Acari: Unionicolidae) ingests mucus and tissue of its molluscan host". Journal of Parasitology. 86 (6): 1254–1258. doi:10.1645/0022-3395(2000)086[1254:TSWMUF]2.0.CO;2. PMID 11191901.
- ^ Gangloff, Michael M.; Lenertz, Kristin K.; Feminella, Jack W. (2008). "Parasitic mite and trematode abundance are associated with reduced reproductive output and physiological condition of freshwater mussels". Hydrobiologia. 610 (1): 25–31. doi:10.1007/s10750-008-9419-8. S2CID 12915328.