TAXONOMIC STUDY OF MESOSTIGMATID MITES ASSOCIATED WITH STORED PRODUCTS IN HISAR (HARYANA), INDIA

During 1999-2003 surveys were conducted in Hisar (Haryana) to know the occurrence of mesostigmatid mite fauna associated with stores. The mites identified under present investigation belong to four families, six genera and seven species. The identified mites are Androlaelaps theseus (Zumpt), Haemolaelaps ovalis Costa, Hypoaspis aculeifer Canestrini and Hypoaspis sardoa Berlese from Laelapidae family, Ornithonyssus nitedulae Costa from Macronyssidae family, Phytoseius sp. from Phytoseiidae family and Leiodinychus parasiticus Choudhary and Mukherjee from Urodinychidae family. A key to the identification of mites has been provided in the text. L. parasiticus is the most destructive mite in stores and is responsible for bulk spoilage. Ornithonyssus nitedulae is essentially a blood feeding mite of rodents and birds that enter into stores and can be a health hazard to the workers in stores and godowns. Other mites observed are basically free living, feeding on harmful mites, fungus etc. in the stored environment. Out of the seven species identified, three are new report from India and six are first report from Haryana.