searchable PDF - Association for Mexican Cave Studies

Limnesiidae, Mideopsidae, Pionidae, and Unionicolidaefrom caves and cenotes in Yucatan. With theexception of two species reported from caves thesefamilies will not be further discussed.Family CheyletidaeTwo species of cheyletid mite have been collectedfrom caves in Mexico. Cheyletus cacahuamilpensisBaker, described from Grutas de Cacahuamilpa,Guerrero (Baker, 1949), is also known from caves inYucatan. Cheyletus malaccensis Oudemans has beencollected recently from caves in Tamaulipas and Veracruz.Family EreynetidaeBaker (1945) described Ereynetes sabinensisfrom Cueva de Los Sabinos, San Luis Potosi. Thispredaceous mite probably inhabits washed-in organicdebris in caves.Family ErythraeidaeOne species of this family, Erythraeus bisetosaWharton, was described from Cueva de San Isidro,Yucatan. ;\licholas (1962) lists it as a troglobite, butit is at best a troglophile. The larvae of erythraeidsare parasitic on insects.Family HydrodromidaeHydrodroma despiciens (l\liiller) is a troglophile inhabitingpools in Grutas de Balankanche, Yucatan(Marshall,1936).Family LimnesiidaeMarshall (1936) reported Limnesia paucispinaWolcott from five open-air cenotes and two caves inYucatan. It is presumably a troglophile in Gru tas deBalankanche and Cueva de Santa Elena.Family MyobiidaeThe only species of myobiid mite reported fromMexican caves is famesonia arganoi Vomero. Thisspecies was described from the vampire bat Desmodusrotundus murinus Wagner in Cueva de Los Sabinos,San Luis Potosi (V omero, 1972).Family PterygosomidaeCunliffe (1952) reported Hirstiella trombidiformes(Berlese) from Cueva del Carrizal, Nuevo Leon. Thisis a frequent parasite of lizards; the host in this caveis unknown.Family RhagidiidaeThe family Rhagidiidae is frequently collected incaves, and many species in Europe and the easternUnited States have been tentatively considered to betroglobites. Two described species are possible troglobitesand discussed below. An undescribed species ofprobable troglophile is known from Cueva del Diablo,Veracruz. Undetermined material is also known fromGrutas del Palmito and Grutas de Villa de Garcia,Nuevo Leon.Rhagidia trisetata Elliott and StrandtmannRhagidia sp.: Reddell and Mitchell, 1971a:149.Rhagidia trisetatus Elliott and Strandtmann, 1971:473-474, fig. 1-3, 8-16; Reddell, 1973a:34, 39;Reddell and Elliott, 1973a: 174.Rhagidia trisetata: Elliott, 1976: 14.Type-Iocality.-El Sotano de la Tinaja, San LuisPotosi, Mexico.Distribution.-Known only from the type-locality.Discussion.-This species is known only from onefemale. It was found in association with R. weyerensis.These two species are the only members of thefamily which have been described from Mexico.Rhagidia weyerensis (Packard)Bryiobia? (or Penthaleus?) weyerensis Packard, 1888:42, pl.ll(fig. 1, la, Ib).Bryiobia weyerensis: Banks, 1907:598.Rhagidia cavicola (part): Banta, 1907:68.Rhagidia weyerensis: Holsinger, 1965:654, 655-658,661, fig. 1-6; Elliott and Strandtmann, 1971:469­473, fig. 4-7, 17-24; Reddell and Mitchell, 1971a:149; Reddell and Elliott, 1973a:174.Type-Iocality.-Weyer's Cave (=Grand Caverns),17 miles north of Staunton, Augusta County, Virgima.Distribution.-Known from Grand Caverns, Virginia;Old Spanish Cave, Stone County, Missouri; CarlsbadCaverns, Eddy County, New Mexico; and Sotanode la Tinaja, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.Mexico record.-San Luis Potosi: Sotano de la TinaJ3.Discussion.-The distribu tion of this mite defiesexplanation at this time. No known species of troglobiteis known to have so great and disjunct a distribution;yet no collections of this species are knownfrom the surface, and much of the intervening terrainis hardly suitable for these humus inhabitinganimals. Elliott and Strandtmann (1971) found nodifferences between specimens from Virginia andMexico and were confident that they dealt with169