Date of Graduation
8-2011
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Entomology (MS)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Entomology
Advisor/Mentor
Ashley P.G. Dowling
Committee Member
Tim Kring
Second Committee Member
Don Steinkraus
Third Committee Member
Jeff Silbermann
Keywords
Biological Sciences, Bdelloidea, Forest litter, Interior highlands, Predatory mites
Abstract
Fourteen genera of Cunaxidae (Acari: Prostigmata) are reported from the Ozark Highlands for the first time. Descriptions, diagnoses, and illustrated keys to genera and world species are given. Five new species are described and illustrated and an additional 6 known species are recorded from the region. The first rigorous phylogenetic hypothesis for Cunaxidae is presented. Based on morphology, it suggests the current subfamilial classification scheme does not reflect the evolutionary history of the family. Unfortunately, bootstrap values and resolution are low, suggesting the need for further indepth molecular analyses.
Citation
Skvarla, M. J. (2011). Ozark Highland Cunaxidae (Acari: Prostigmata): Descriptions and keys to genera found to occur in the region and a new phylogenetic hypothesis for the family. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/120