Histiogaster arborsignis is recorded from subcortical habitats and fungal fruiting bodies in the Huron Mountains of northern Michigan. Deutonymphs were collected from 15 species of Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera. Additional host and locality records for this species are provided from other areas in the Great Lakes region

OConnor, Barry M

English

ValpoScholar

The Great Lakes Entomologist 
Volume 23 
Number 4 - Winter 1990 Number 4 - Winter 
1990 
Article 5 
December 1990 
Ecology and Host Associations of Histiogaster Arborsignis (Acari: 
Acaridae) in the Great Lakes Region, Particularly in the Huron 
Mountains of Northern Michigan 
Barry M. OConnor 
University of Michigan 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle 
 Part of the Entomology Commons 
Recommended Citation 
OConnor, Barry M. 1990. "Ecology and Host Associations of Histiogaster Arborsignis (Acari: Acaridae) in 
the Great Lakes Region, Particularly in the Huron Mountains of Northern Michigan," The Great Lakes 
Entomologist, vol 23 (4) 
Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol23/iss4/5 
This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. 
It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. 
For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. 
1990 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 205 
ECOLOGY AND HOST ASSOCIATIONS OF 

HISTIOGASTER ARBORSIGNIS (ACARI: ACARIDAE) 

IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION, PARTICULARLY IN THE 

HURON MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN MICHIGAN 

Barry M. OConnorl 
ABSTRACT 
Histiogaster arborsignis is recorded from subcortical habitats and fungal fruit­
ing bodies in the Huron Mountains of northern Michigan. Deutonymphs were 
collected from 15 species of Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera. Additional host 
and locality records for this species are provided from other areas in the Great Lakes 
region. 
Woodring (1963) described Histiogaster arborsignum (sic) based upon adults 
and deutonymphs collected from the galleries of the southern pine beetle, Dendroc­
tonusJrontalis, in loblolly pine, Pinus taeda, from eastern Texas. Woodring (1966) 
correctly emended the specific name to arborsignis and reported new specimens 
associated with the galleries or bodies of 14 species of Scolytidae (8 species of Ips, 5
species of Dendroctonus, and Orthotomicus coelatus) as well as a gallery of the 
woodwasp, Sirex sp. These insects and ga1leries were taken from 8 species f Pinus 
and "fir". The geographic range of the species was extended to include Quebec, 
Ontario and Saskatchewan in Canada; California, C lorado, South Dakota, Michi­
gan, Ohio, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Georgia in the United States; Sonora, 
Durango and Puebla in Mexico, and Honduras. A single specimen was reported 
from brazilnut husks from Brazil intercepted in plant quarantine in Louisiana. 
Woodring (1969) provided life-history information on this species based on labora­
tory cultures. Moser and Roton (1971) reported that deutonymphs of H. arborsignis 
would attach to a variety of insect species in the laboratory. Chmielewski (1977) 
reported H. arborsignis from Poland on Silvanus unidentatus (Cucujidae) from 
"bark of exotic trees". 
During studies of the astigmatid mite fauna of the Huron Mountains in north­
ern Michigan, H. arborsignis was one of the most commonly collected species. In 
this paper I provide n w information on the natural habitats and phoretic hosts of 
this species. 
MATERIALS AND METHODS 
Mites were collected on the property of the Huron Mountain Club, Marquette 
Co., Michigan, during the period 22-28 June 1986 (OConnor and Houck, 1989). 
IMuseum of Zoology and Department of Biology, The University of Michigan, Ann 
Arbor, MI 48109-1079. 
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OConnor: Ecology and Host Associations of Histiogaster Arborsignis
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206 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 23, No.4 
Oetailed descriptions of the habitats are included in Wells and Thompson (1976) and 
Gosling (1986). Feeding stages of a tigmatid mites were recovered from habitat 
samples examined under a dissecting microscope. Phoretic deutonymphs were 
recovered from insect hosts which were collected by sweep nets, Malaise traps and 
pitfall traps. Cultures were attempted by placing live mites in culture dishes with 
small amounts of the substrate in which they were found (for feeding stages) or 
brewer's yeast, oatmeal or pieces of freshly killed insect (for deutonymphs). Insect 
hosts were identified and vouchered with labels reading "Mites removed, B.M. 
OConnor" followed by a catalog number. Insect and mite specimens are deposited in 
the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. 
RESULTS 
Histiogaster arborsignis was the only species of Histiogaster collected in the 
Huron Mountains. "Histiogaster" cye/opis Woodring, 1966, and two undescribed 
related species were also collected, but these species should not be placed in the 
genus Histiogaster and will be considered in a separate paper. Colonies containing 
all ontogenetic stages of H. arborsignis were recovered from three microhabitat 
samples as follows. 
Acer saccharum (sugar maple), subcortical space in fallen log, 24 June 1986, 
(BMOC #86-0624-1). Mites were observed feeding on two (unidentified) species of 
fungi on the underside of the bark. Mites were observed in colonies of a black 
fungus throughout t e subcortical area and in colonies of a green fungus occurring 
in old cerambycid or buprestid galleries. Active and pharate deutonymphs were 
observed in the latter colonies. 
Acer saccharum subcortical space in fallen log, 27 June 1986, (BMOC 
#86-0627-3). 
Pinus resinosa Gack pine) subcortical space in· fallen log, 24 June 1986, (BMOC 
#86-0624-16). Mites were collected from old cerambycid galleries. 
Active deutonymphs but no feeding stages were recovered from the following 
microhabitats: 
Betula alleghaniensis (yellow birch), subcortical space in fallen log, 24 June 
1986, 2 ON, (BMOC #86-0627-4). 
Piptoporus betulin us (birch polypore) on Betula papyri/era (paper birch), 23 
June 1986, ION, (BMOC #86-0623-3). 
Pleurotis ostreatus (oyster mushroom) on Acer saccharum (sugar maple), 23 
June 1986, ION, (BMOC #86-0623-47). 
Phoretic deutonymphs (ON) were recovered from the following insect hosts: 
COLEOPTERA: BUPRESTIDAE 
Buprestis striata impedita Say, 23 June 1986, 107 ON, (BMOC #86-0623-14). 
Chalcophora sp., 22 June 1986, 13 ON, (BMOC #86-0622-3). 
COLEOPTERA: CERAMBYCIDAE 
Acmaeops proteus (Kirby), 23 June 1986, 22 ON, (BMOC #86-0623-18); 24 
June 1986,4 ON, (BMOC #86-0624-9). 
Monochamus scutellatus (Say), 26 June 1986, ION, (BMOC #86-0626-6). 
Physocnemum brevilineum (Say), 24 June 1986,4 ON, (BMOC #86-0624-5). 
2
The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 23, No. 4 [1990], Art. 5
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1990 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 207 
COLEOPTERA: OSTOMATIDAE 
Grynocharis quadrilineata (Melshimer), in P/eurotis ostreatus (see above, 
BMOC #86-0623-47), 23 June 1986,,1 DN, (BMOC #86-0623-48); 24 June 1986, 1 
DN, (BMOC #86-0624-6). 
COLEOPTERA: SALPINGIDAE 
Pytho american us Kirby, 24 June 1986, 26 DN, (BMOC #86-0624-4). 
COLEOPTERA: SCOLYTIDAE 
Ips pini (Say), in Pinus banksiana, 24 June 1986, 1 DN, (BMOC #86-0624-10). 
HYMENOPTERA: BRACONIDAE 
Atanyc%us u/micola (Viereck), 24 June 1986, 13 DN, (BMOC #86-0624-11); 
5 DN, (BMOC #86-0624-12). 
HYMENOPTERA: ICHNEUMONIDAE 
Dolichomitus imperator (Kreichbaumer), 25 June 1986, 2 DN, (BMOC 
#86-0625-12). 
Megarhyssa macrurus (Linnaeus), 26 June 1986, 1 DN. (BMOC #86-0626-15). 
Neoxorides pi/lulus Townes, 24 June 1986, 1 DN, (BMOC #86-0624-13). 
Xylophylax macrocephala (Provancher), 23 June 1986, 1 DN, (BMOC 
#86-0633-20). 
DIPTERA: ASILIDAE 
Laphria janus McAtee, 26 June 1986, 1 DN, (BMOC #86-0626-26). 
Laphria postica Say, 23 June 1986, 1 DN, (BMOC #86-0623-7). 
Additional specimens of H. arborsignis in the collections of the University of 
Michigan Museum of Zoology (UMMZ) further extend the known host and habitat 
associations of the species. Insect hosts have been vouchered with labels "Mites 
removed, B.M. OConnor" and the collection number as above. Host insects are 
housed in the UMMZ and the Cornell University Insect Collection, Ithaca, New 
York (CUIC). 
ILLINOIS: 
Pope 
Co., Bell Smith Springs Recreation Area, 23 October 1982, 
B.M. OConnor, ex Phellinus gi/vus (Polyporaceae), 1 DN, (BMOC #82-1023-10). 
MICHIGAN: Berrien Co., Warren Woods State Park, 18 July 1982, B.M. OCon­
nor, ex Coriolus versicolor (Polyporaceae), all feeding stages, (BMOC #82-0718-4); 
Saginaw Co., 13 June 1943, R.R. Dreisbach, ex Somula decora (Diptera: Syrphidae) 
(UMMZ), 20 DN, (BMOC #89-0113-44); Washtenaw Co., Ann Arbor, 21 June 
1927, N.K. Bigelow, ex Somu/a decora (Diptera: Syrphidae) (UMMZ), 6 DN, 
(BMOC #89-0113-45). NEW JERSEY: Burlington Co., near Atsion, 23 July 1980, 
W.L. Brown et aI., ex Enoc/erus nigripes (Coleoptera: Cleridae) (CUIC), 1 DN, 
(BMOC #80-0808-7). NEW YORK: Cortland Co., McLean Reserve, 6 May 1980, 
B.M. OConnor, ex Fomes fomentarius (Polyporaceae) on Fagus grandi/olia (Ameri­
can beech), 1 DN, (BMOC #80-0506-4); Essex Co., Whiteface Mountain, 24 August 
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208 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 23, No.4 
1916, ex Dolichomitus tuberculatus (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) (CUIC), 2 DN, 
(BMOC #78-0927-11); Nassau Co., Plainview, 10 June 1978, M. Huybensz, ex 
Glischrochilus quadrisignatus (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), 11 DN, (BMOC 
#79-0612-2); Tompkins Co., Ringwood Preserve, 6 May 1978, B.M. OConnor, ex 
unidentified polypore fungus, 1 male, (BMOC #78-0516-1); Tompkins Co., 
Taughannock Falls State Park, 3 May 1980, B.M. OConnor, ex Xyloterinus politus 
(Coleoptera: Scolytidae) (CUIC), 4 DN, (BMOC #80-0503-3). CANADA: 
ONTARIO: Parry Sound Co., Humphrey Twp., Mogridge Lake, 24 km south of 
Parry Sound, 28 September 1986, B.M. OConnor, Acer saccharum subcortical 
space, all feeding stages and deutonymphs, (BMOC #'s 86-0928-1, 4,5). QUEBEC: 
Montreal, ex Dolichomitus irratator (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) (CUIC), 1 
DN, (BMOC #78-0927-4). 
DISCUSSION 
Although previous literature records suggest that H. arborsignis is primarily 
associated with active galleries of scolytid beetles, these new observations indicate 
that the species actually has a much broader habitat and host range. The species 
appears to normally inhabit subcortical spaces in both angiosperms and conifers, 
and can also colonize fungal fruiting bodies growing on wood. Phoretic associations 
are also broad, with the common factor among most of the above listed hosts being 
an attraction to or development in wood. The hosts from which the highest numbers 
of 
deutonymphs 
of H. arborsignis were recovered are all beetles whose adult habitat 
(Cleridae, Ostomatidae, Scolytidae, Salpingidae) or larval habitat (Buprestidae, 
Cerambycidae) is subcortical. The Hymenoptera used as hosts are all parasitoids of 
subcortical insects, either Cerambycidae (D. imp rator, N. pi/lulus, X. macro­
cephala, A. ulmicola) or Siricidae (M. macrurus). It is interesting to note that the 
individual M. macrurus which carried H. arborsignis was a male, one of few male 
ichneumonids from which astigmatid mites of any species was recovered during this 
study. This association correlates with the behavior of male Megarhyssa which are 
unusual in being attracted to female oviposition sites on logs (Crankshaw and 
Matthews, 1981). Of the two genera of Diptera used, Laphria species perch on tree 
trunks from which they pursue prey, while Somula females are attracted to moist 
decaying woody substrates as oviposition sites. 
Field observations confirm Woodring's (1969) supposition that H. arborsignis 
is primarily a fungivore. Woodring was able to culture this species successfully using 
both yeast and powdered mushrooms as food. My cultures maintained separately on 
yeast and small pieces of polypore fungi survived and reproduced extensively. I also 
cultured this species for a long period using oatmeal as the only food. In contrast to 
Woodring's failure to maintain H. arborsignis on mealworm tissue, I was also able 
to culture this species using only freshly killed insects as food. 
The natural history of H. arborsignis appears to be that of a species primarily 
restricted to subcortical spaces and primarily fungivorous, although other types of 
food can be utilized. Mites may also leave the subcortical space and colonize rela­
tively long-lived fungal fruiting bodies on the bark surface. Long distance dispersal 
to 
new habitats 
is achieved through phoretic association with essentially any insect 
that develops in or visits the subcortical space. Dispersing deutonymphs may also 
migrate to the bark surface through insect emergence holes where they may encoun­
ter other potential phoretic hosts. This pattern of relative habitat specificity but little 
specificity for phoretic hosts is common in most genera in the acarid subfamily 
Rhizoglyphinae related to His iogaster. The species is widely distributed in temper­
ate and tropical North America and has also been reported from Brazil and Poland 
although the association of the latter record with "exotic trees" may indicate an 
introduction. 
4
The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 23, No. 4 [1990], Art. 5
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1990 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 209 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
Field work in the Huron Mountains was supported by the Huron Mountain 
Wildlife Foundation. I thank Mark and Adrienne O'Brien, The University of Michi­
gan, and Dr. David C.L. Gosling, Huron Mountain Wildlife Foundation, for their 
assistance in collecting and identifying the insects used in this study. I also thank the 
late Dr. Henry Townes, American Entomological Institute, for identifying the 
Hymenoptera. 
LITERATURE CITED 
Chmielewski, W. 1977. Wyniki obserwacji powiazan roztoczy z owadami (Acari-Insecta). 
Polskie Pismo Entomol. 47:59-78. 
Crankshaw, O.S. and R.W. Matthews. 1981. Sexual behavior among parasitic Megarhyssa 
wasps (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). Behav. Bcol. Sociobiol. 9:1-7. 
Gosling, D.C.L. 1986. Ecology of the Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) f the Huron Mountains in 
Northern Michigan. Great Lakes Entomol. 19:153-162. 
Moser, J.C. and L.M. Roton. 1971. Mites associated with southern pine bark beetles in Allen 
Parish, Louisiana. Can. Entomol. 103:1775-1798. 
OConnor, B.M. and M.A. Houck. 1989. Two new genera of Hemisarcoptidae (Acari: 
Astigmata) from the Huron Mountains of Northern Michigan. Great Lakes Entomol. 
22:1-10. 
Wells, J.R. and P.W. Thompson. 1976. Vegetation and flora of the Huron Mountains. Occas. 
Papers Huron Mt. Wildlife Found. 3:1-59. 
Woodring, J.P. 1963. New species of Histiostoma (Anoetidae) and Histiogaster (Acaridae) 
with observations on their biology (Acari). Proc. Louisiana Acad. Sci. 26:49-57. 
Woodring, J.P. 1966. North American Tyroglyphidae (Acari): III. The genus Histiogaster, 
with descriptions of four new species. Proc. Louisiana Acad. Sci. 29:113-136. 
Woodring, J.P. 1969. Observations on the biology of six species of acarid mites. Ann. Enlo­
mol. Soc. Amer. 62:102-108. 
5
OConnor: Ecology and Host Associations of Histiogaster Arborsignis
Published by ValpoScholar, 1990

Ecology and Host Associations of \u3ci\u3eHistiogaster Arborsignis\u3c/i\u3e (Acari: Acaridae) in the Great Lakes Region, Particularly in the Huron Mountains of Northern Michigan

Valparaiso University

The Great Lakes Entomologist Volume 23 Number 4 - Winter 1990 Number 4 - Winter 1990 Article 5 December 1990 Ecology and Host Associations of Histiogaster Arborsignis (Acari: Acaridae) in the Great Lakes Region, Particularly in the Huron Mountains of Northern Michigan Barry M. OConnor University of Michigan Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation OConnor, Barry M. 1990. "Ecology and Host Associations of Histiogaster Arborsignis (Acari: Acaridae) in the Great Lakes Region, Particularly in the Huron Mountains of Northern Michigan," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 23 (4) Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol23/iss4/5 This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. 1990 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 205 ECOLOGY AND HOST ASSOCIATIONS OF HISTIOGASTER ARBORSIGNIS (ACARI: ACARIDAE) IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION, PARTICULARLY IN THE HURON MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN MICHIGAN Barry M. OConnorl ABSTRACT Histiogaster arborsignis is recorded from subcortical habitats and fungal fruit­ing bodies in the Huron Mountains of northern Michigan. Deutonymphs were collected from 15 species of Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera. Additional host and locality records for this species are provided from other areas in the Great Lakes region. Woodring (1963) described Histiogaster arborsignum (sic) based upon adults and deutonymphs collected from the galleries of the southern pine beetle, Dendroc­tonusJrontalis, in loblolly pine, Pinus taeda, from eastern Texas. Woodring (1966) correctly emended the specific name to arborsignis and reported new specimens associated with the galleries or bodies of 14 species of Scolytidae (8 species of Ips, 5species of Dendroctonus, and Orthotomicus coelatus) as well as a gallery of the woodwasp, Sirex sp. These insects and ga1leries were taken from 8 species f Pinus and "fir". The geographic range of the species was extended to include Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan in Canada; California, C lorado, South Dakota, Michi­gan, Ohio, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Georgia in the United States; Sonora, Durango and Puebla in Mexico, and Honduras. A single specimen was reported from brazilnut husks from Brazil intercepted in plant quarantine in Louisiana. Woodring (1969) provided life-history information on this species based on labora­tory cultures. Moser and Roton (1971) reported that deutonymphs of H. arborsignis would attach to a variety of insect species in the laboratory. Chmielewski (1977) reported H. arborsignis from Poland on Silvanus unidentatus (Cucujidae) from "bark of exotic trees". During studies of the astigmatid mite fauna of the Huron Mountains in north­ern Michigan, H. arborsignis was one of the most commonly collected species. In this paper I provide n w information on the natural habitats and phoretic hosts of this species. MATERIALS AND METHODS Mites were collected on the property of the Huron Mountain Club, Marquette Co., Michigan, during the period 22-28 June 1986 (OConnor and Houck, 1989). IMuseum of Zoology and Department of Biology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079. 1OConnor: Ecology and Host Associations of Histiogaster ArborsignisPublished by ValpoScholar, 1990206 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 23, No.4 Oetailed descriptions of the habitats are included in Wells and Thompson (1976) and Gosling (1986). Feeding stages of a tigmatid mites were recovered from habitat samples examined under a dissecting microscope. Phoretic deutonymphs were recovered from insect hosts which were collected by sweep nets, Malaise traps and pitfall traps. Cultures were attempted by placing live mites in culture dishes with small amounts of the substrate in which they were found (for feeding stages) or brewer's yeast, oatmeal or pieces of freshly killed insect (for deutonymphs). Insect hosts were identified and vouchered with labels reading "Mites removed, B.M. OConnor" followed by a catalog number. Insect and mite specimens are deposited in the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. RESULTS Histiogaster arborsignis was the only species of Histiogaster collected in the Huron Mountains. "Histiogaster" cye/opis Woodring, 1966, and two undescribed related species were also collected, but these species should not be placed in the genus Histiogaster and will be considered in a separate paper. Colonies containing all ontogenetic stages of H. arborsignis were recovered from three microhabitat samples as follows. Acer saccharum (sugar maple), subcortical space in fallen log, 24 June 1986, (BMOC #86-0624-1). Mites were observed feeding on two (unidentified) species of fungi on the underside of the bark. Mites were observed in colonies of a black fungus throughout t e subcortical area and in colonies of a green fungus occurring in old cerambycid or buprestid galleries. Active and pharate deutonymphs were observed in the latter colonies. Acer saccharum subcortical space in fallen log, 27 June 1986, (BMOC #86-0627-3). Pinus resinosa Gack pine) subcortical space in· fallen log, 24 June 1986, (BMOC #86-0624-16). Mites were collected from old cerambycid galleries. Active deutonymphs but no feeding stages were recovered from the following microhabitats: Betula alleghaniensis (yellow birch), subcortical space in fallen log, 24 June 1986, 2 ON, (BMOC #86-0627-4). Piptoporus betulin us (birch polypore) on Betula papyri/era (paper birch), 23 June 1986, ION, (BMOC #86-0623-3). Pleurotis ostreatus (oyster mushroom) on Acer saccharum (sugar maple), 23 June 1986, ION, (BMOC #86-0623-47). Phoretic deutonymphs (ON) were recovered from the following insect hosts: COLEOPTERA: BUPRESTIDAE Buprestis striata impedita Say, 23 June 1986, 107 ON, (BMOC #86-0623-14). Chalcophora sp., 22 June 1986, 13 ON, (BMOC #86-0622-3). COLEOPTERA: CERAMBYCIDAE Acmaeops proteus (Kirby), 23 June 1986, 22 ON, (BMOC #86-0623-18); 24 June 1986,4 ON, (BMOC #86-0624-9). Monochamus scutellatus (Say), 26 June 1986, ION, (BMOC #86-0626-6). Physocnemum brevilineum (Say), 24 June 1986,4 ON, (BMOC #86-0624-5). 2The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 23, No. 4 [1990], Art. 5https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol23/iss4/51990 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 207 COLEOPTERA: OSTOMATIDAE Grynocharis quadrilineata (Melshimer), in P/eurotis ostreatus (see above, BMOC #86-0623-47), 23 June 1986,,1 DN, (BMOC #86-0623-48); 24 June 1986, 1 DN, (BMOC #86-0624-6). COLEOPTERA: SALPINGIDAE Pytho american us Kirby, 24 June 1986, 26 DN, (BMOC #86-0624-4). COLEOPTERA: SCOLYTIDAE Ips pini (Say), in Pinus banksiana, 24 June 1986, 1 DN, (BMOC #86-0624-10). HYMENOPTERA: BRACONIDAE Atanyc%us u/micola (Viereck), 24 June 1986, 13 DN, (BMOC #86-0624-11); 5 DN, (BMOC #86-0624-12). HYMENOPTERA: ICHNEUMONIDAE Dolichomitus imperator (Kreichbaumer), 25 June 1986, 2 DN, (BMOC #86-0625-12). Megarhyssa macrurus (Linnaeus), 26 June 1986, 1 DN. (BMOC #86-0626-15). Neoxorides pi/lulus Townes, 24 June 1986, 1 DN, (BMOC #86-0624-13). Xylophylax macrocephala (Provancher), 23 June 1986, 1 DN, (BMOC #86-0633-20). DIPTERA: ASILIDAE Laphria janus McAtee, 26 June 1986, 1 DN, (BMOC #86-0626-26). Laphria postica Say, 23 June 1986, 1 DN, (BMOC #86-0623-7). Additional specimens of H. arborsignis in the collections of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (UMMZ) further extend the known host and habitat associations of the species. Insect hosts have been vouchered with labels "Mites removed, B.M. OConnor" and the collection number as above. Host insects are housed in the UMMZ and the Cornell University Insect Collection, Ithaca, New York (CUIC). ILLINOIS: Pope Co., Bell Smith Springs Recreation Area, 23 October 1982, B.M. OConnor, ex Phellinus gi/vus (Polyporaceae), 1 DN, (BMOC #82-1023-10). MICHIGAN: Berrien Co., Warren Woods State Park, 18 July 1982, B.M. OCon­nor, ex Coriolus versicolor (Polyporaceae), all feeding stages, (BMOC #82-0718-4); Saginaw Co., 13 June 1943, R.R. Dreisbach, ex Somula decora (Diptera: Syrphidae) (UMMZ), 20 DN, (BMOC #89-0113-44); Washtenaw Co., Ann Arbor, 21 June 1927, N.K. Bigelow, ex Somu/a decora (Diptera: Syrphidae) (UMMZ), 6 DN, (BMOC #89-0113-45). NEW JERSEY: Burlington Co., near Atsion, 23 July 1980, W.L. Brown et aI., ex Enoc/erus nigripes (Coleoptera: Cleridae) (CUIC), 1 DN, (BMOC #80-0808-7). NEW YORK: Cortland Co., McLean Reserve, 6 May 1980, B.M. OConnor, ex Fomes fomentarius (Polyporaceae) on Fagus grandi/olia (Ameri­can beech), 1 DN, (BMOC #80-0506-4); Essex Co., Whiteface Mountain, 24 August 3OConnor: Ecology and Host Associations of Histiogaster ArborsignisPublished by ValpoScholar, 1990208 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 23, No.4 1916, ex Dolichomitus tuberculatus (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) (CUIC), 2 DN, (BMOC #78-0927-11); Nassau Co., Plainview, 10 June 1978, M. Huybensz, ex Glischrochilus quadrisignatus (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), 11 DN, (BMOC #79-0612-2); Tompkins Co., Ringwood Preserve, 6 May 1978, B.M. OConnor, ex unidentified polypore fungus, 1 male, (BMOC #78-0516-1); Tompkins Co., Taughannock Falls State Park, 3 May 1980, B.M. OConnor, ex Xyloterinus politus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) (CUIC), 4 DN, (BMOC #80-0503-3). CANADA: ONTARIO: Parry Sound Co., Humphrey Twp., Mogridge Lake, 24 km south of Parry Sound, 28 September 1986, B.M. OConnor, Acer saccharum subcortical space, all feeding stages and deutonymphs, (BMOC #'s 86-0928-1, 4,5). QUEBEC: Montreal, ex Dolichomitus irratator (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) (CUIC), 1 DN, (BMOC #78-0927-4). DISCUSSION Although previous literature records suggest that H. arborsignis is primarily associated with active galleries of scolytid beetles, these new observations indicate that the species actually has a much broader habitat and host range. The species appears to normally inhabit subcortical spaces in both angiosperms and conifers, and can also colonize fungal fruiting bodies growing on wood. Phoretic associations are also broad, with the common factor among most of the above listed hosts being an attraction to or development in wood. The hosts from which the highest numbers of deutonymphs of H. arborsignis were recovered are all beetles whose adult habitat (Cleridae, Ostomatidae, Scolytidae, Salpingidae) or larval habitat (Buprestidae, Cerambycidae) is subcortical. The Hymenoptera used as hosts are all parasitoids of subcortical insects, either Cerambycidae (D. imp rator, N. pi/lulus, X. macro­cephala, A. ulmicola) or Siricidae (M. macrurus). It is interesting to note that the individual M. macrurus which carried H. arborsignis was a male, one of few male ichneumonids from which astigmatid mites of any species was recovered during this study. This association correlates with the behavior of male Megarhyssa which are unusual in being attracted to female oviposition sites on logs (Crankshaw and Matthews, 1981). Of the two genera of Diptera used, Laphria species perch on tree trunks from which they pursue prey, while Somula females are attracted to moist decaying woody substrates as oviposition sites. Field observations confirm Woodring's (1969) supposition that H. arborsignis is primarily a fungivore. Woodring was able to culture this species successfully using both yeast and powdered mushrooms as food. My cultures maintained separately on yeast and small pieces of polypore fungi survived and reproduced extensively. I also cultured this species for a long period using oatmeal as the only food. In contrast to Woodring's failure to maintain H. arborsignis on mealworm tissue, I was also able to culture this species using only freshly killed insects as food. The natural history of H. arborsignis appears to be that of a species primarily restricted to subcortical spaces and primarily fungivorous, although other types of food can be utilized. Mites may also leave the subcortical space and colonize rela­tively long-lived fungal fruiting bodies on the bark surface. Long distance dispersal to new habitats is achieved through phoretic association with essentially any insect that develops in or visits the subcortical space. Dispersing deutonymphs may also migrate to the bark surface through insect emergence holes where they may encoun­ter other potential phoretic hosts. This pattern of relative habitat specificity but little specificity for phoretic hosts is common in most genera in the acarid subfamily Rhizoglyphinae related to His iogaster. The species is widely distributed in temper­ate and tropical North America and has also been reported from Brazil and Poland although the association of the latter record with "exotic trees" may indicate an introduction. 4The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 23, No. 4 [1990], Art. 5https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol23/iss4/51990 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 209 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Field work in the Huron Mountains was supported by the Huron Mountain Wildlife Foundation. I thank Mark and Adrienne O'Brien, The University of Michi­gan, and Dr. David C.L. Gosling, Huron Mountain Wildlife Foundation, for their assistance in collecting and identifying the insects used in this study. I also thank the late Dr. Henry Townes, American Entomological Institute, for identifying the Hymenoptera. LITERATURE CITED Chmielewski, W. 1977. Wyniki obserwacji powiazan roztoczy z owadami (Acari-Insecta). Polskie Pismo Entomol. 47:59-78. Crankshaw, O.S. and R.W. Matthews. 1981. Sexual behavior among parasitic Megarhyssa wasps (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). Behav. Bcol. Sociobiol. 9:1-7. Gosling, D.C.L. 1986. Ecology of the Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) f the Huron Mountains in Northern Michigan. Great Lakes Entomol. 19:153-162. Moser, J.C. and L.M. Roton. 1971. Mites associated with southern pine bark beetles in Allen Parish, Louisiana. Can. Entomol. 103:1775-1798. OConnor, B.M. and M.A. Houck. 1989. Two new genera of Hemisarcoptidae (Acari: Astigmata) from the Huron Mountains of Northern Michigan. Great Lakes Entomol. 22:1-10. Wells, J.R. and P.W. Thompson. 1976. Vegetation and flora of the Huron Mountains. Occas. Papers Huron Mt. Wildlife Found. 3:1-59. Woodring, J.P. 1963. New species of Histiostoma (Anoetidae) and Histiogaster (Acaridae) with observations on their biology (Acari). Proc. Louisiana Acad. Sci. 26:49-57. Woodring, J.P. 1966. North American Tyroglyphidae (Acari): III. The genus Histiogaster, with descriptions of four new species. Proc. Louisiana Acad. Sci. 29:113-136. Woodring, J.P. 1969. Observations on the biology of six species of acarid mites. Ann. Enlo­mol. Soc. Amer. 62:102-108. 5OConnor: Ecology and Host Associations of Histiogaster ArborsignisPublished by ValpoScholar, 1990

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Ecology and Host Associations of \u3ci\u3eHistiogaster Arborsignis\u3c/i\u3e (Acari: Acaridae) in the Great Lakes Region, Particularly in the Huron Mountains of Northern Michigan

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