Holothyrida
| Holothyrida | |
|---|---|
| Sternothyrus braueri, a member of Holothyridae | |
| Underside of male (left) and female (right) of Diplothyrus lecorrei (Neothyridae) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Superorder: | Parasitiformes |
| Order: | Holothyrida |
| Families | |
|
See text. | |
| Diversity | |
| 10 genera, > 25 species | |
The Holothyrida are a small order of mites in the superorder Parasitiformes. No fossils are known. With body lengths of more than 2 mm (3⁄32 in) they are relatively large mites, with a heavily sclerotized body. It is divided into three families, Allothyridae, Holothyridae, and Neothyridae. In a 1998 experimental study, members of the family Allothyridae were found to ignore living animals but readily fed on the body fluids of dead arthropods, making them scavengers.
The order has a distribution largely confined to former Gondwanan landmasses. They are the sister group to Ixodida (ticks).