Dear acarologists,

Following some recent questions about mounting media, I am able to share
with you some information I compiled on this subject. Several years ago I
did an informal survey of colleagues on their experiences with various
media. The results can be found in the archives of the acarology list, at
this address:

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/hosted_sites/acarology/archive/summary.html

I hope this information is of some interest.

You may also be interested in this paper : M. S. Upton, 1993. Aqueous
gum-chloral slide mounting media: an historical review. Bull. Ent. Res. 83:
267-274.
 

Bruce Halliday

***********************************************************
Dr. R. B. Halliday
CSIRO Entomology
GPO Box 1700
Canberra ACT 2601
Australia

Telephone (02) 6246 4085
Mobile 0438 543509
International Telephone (61) (2) 6246 4085
Fax (02) 6246 4000
International Fax (61) (2) 6246 4000

E-mail bruceh@ento.csiro.au
http://www.ento.csiro.au/research/natres/natres.html
***********************************************************

----------------------------------------------------------------------
This mail is sent to all participants of "Acarology List",
"Informations Apterygotologiques", and "Collembola ML" (name of
receiver is not coincide with your name because I am sending you
through Bcc.).

With this mail I would like to ask investigators who prepare
microscopic permanent slide preparation to answer a questionnaire
about method on making and preserving preparations.  Please ignore
this mail, therefore, if you are not concerned microscopic
preparations.  Further, please forgive me in case you receive the same
questionnaire once again or more, since I have sent it to participants
of another mailing lists and members of some societies as well.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear colleague

I beg your generosity to send you such a long mail without
introduction.  I am working at a museum in Japan and studying taxonomy
of pauropods.

As you know, pauropods are very tiny and I must make them into
microscopic preparations* when examine.  Unfortunately, however, slide
preparations mounted with Hoyer's medium -most popular mounting medium
among Japanese soil zoologists- are to be invaded by air within a
couple of years with high frequency, and not a few portion lose
taxonomic value in several years.  Moreover, unlike "hard" creatures
such as oribatid mites, pauropods are so "soft" that I cannot remount
them even when they become dried up.
-----
* My present method of mounting and preserving pauropods
(1) Use a 32x24mm cover glass as a slide glass, for I have to examine
    pauropods from both dorsal and ventral sides with oil immersion
    lens.
(2) Place a material, which was stored in 70-80% ethanol, onto the
    "slide glass" mentioned above (excess ethanol was removed with
    filtre paper), drip a drop of Hoyer's medium.
(3) Put a 15mm circle cover glass over the material gently.
(4) Let preparation as it is for 2 weeks for drying; no special
    apparatus such as a hot plate nor an incubator is used.
(5) Seal (ring) with nail enamel (OVERCOAT, SHISEIDO).
(6) Mount preparation on an aluminium flame (same to one which was
    used by excellent Danish proturan taxonomist, late Prof. Dr.
    S.L.TUXEN), store in a slide box (wooden 100 slides) and put the
    box on a flapless-shelf.

Consequently it is a serious problem for me to find much better
alternative method as soon as possible.  At first I decide to send a
questionnaire about method on making and preserving preparations to
investigators who seem to prepare small creatures, mainly arthropods,
into microscopic permanent slide preparation.  I will plan how I may
perform experiments to search for better methods by taking its results
into consideration.

I am most grateful if you kindly help me by replying this
questionnaire, preferably by the end of April, 2001.

I also provided questionnaire sheet in a Microsoft Word file at the
website: <http://homepage.mac.com/norihagino/prep_Q_E.html>.  Please
visit there and download a file if it is convenient for you -it will
make you a little easier in answering.

At last, Please be sure that some parts of your answer except for the
personal information will be presented in the form of oral report and/
or publication (sorry, probably in Japanese!).

I am sorry to bother you much but I am really look forward to hear
from you.

With my kindest regards.

Yours sincerely

Yasunori HAGINO

----------
Yasunori HAGINO
Natural History Museum & Institute, Chiba
955-2 Aoba-cho, Chiba-shi 260-8682,  JAPAN
TEL: +81-43-265-3274  FAX: +81-43-266-2481
mailto:hagino@chiba-muse.or.jp
 

========== Begining of the QUESTIONNAIRE ==========

QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT MAKING AND PRESERVING MICROSCOPIC PERMANENT PREPARATION

Hereafter I ask you about your method in making and preserving
microscopic permanent slide preparation.  If you use several mounting
media, glass,sealing media, etc., please provide answers for one
method that you use most frequently.
(1) "#" indicates that it is an item of choices.  Show your selection
    in clear way:
  eg.1. put some symbol such as "x" before the item(s) you select;
  eg.2. delete all items other than your selection.
(2) "<  >": fill in by your words.

Please be sure that some parts of your answer except for the personal
information will be presented in the form of oral report and/or
publication (sorry, probably in Japanese!).

I would be grateful if I receive your answer until the end of April,
2001.

======================================================================

 1. Taxon (taxa) you make into preparation: <  >

 2. Style of preparation:
     #Individual as a whole    #Dissected parts    #Serial section
     #Other <  >

 3. Treatment(s) before preparation:
     #Fixation with ethanol <concentration %>
     #Fixation with other <chemical used; concentration %>
     #Penetration <chemical used>    #Dying <chemical used>
     #Dehydration <method>    #Other <  >      #No treatment

 4. Mounting medium you are using
   a. Name of medium
      (for each medium with an asterisk, an example of formula is
      given as * in [ADDENDA] at the end of this questionnaire):
       #Hoyer's medium*    #Gum-chloral*    #Heinze's medium*
       #SWAN's medium*    #Canada Balsam    #EUKITT (O.Kindler)
       #EUPARAL (Chroma-Gesellshaft)    #Aquatex (Merck)
       #Entellan (Merck)    #Entellan neu (Merck)    #Other <  >
   b. How do you get it?:
       #Prepared by yourself    #Prepared by other    #Purchase
       #Other <  >
   c. Reason for using that medium: <  >
   d. Any other comments on mounting medium...: <  >

 5. Slide glass you are using
   a. Type:
       #Green slide    #White slide    #Hollow slide
       #Other extra treatment (frost, coating, etc.) <  >
   b. Manufacturer: <  >
   c. Thickness: <  > (unit: #mm    #inch    #Other <  >)
   d. Reason for using that slide glass: <  >
   e. Any other comments on slide glass...: <  >

 6. Cover glass you are using
   a. Shape: #Circle    #Square    #Other <  >
   b. Size: <  > (unit: #mm    #inch    #Other <  >)
   c. Manufacturer: <  >
   d. Reason for using that cover glass: <  >
   e. Any other comments on cover glass...: <  >

 7. Drying preparation
   a. Drying method:
       #Natural drying <period>    #Use incubator <temperature, period>
       #Use hot plate <temperature, period>    #Other <  >
   b. Reason for using that method: <  >
   c. Any other comments on drying preparation...: <  >

 8. Sealing (ringing)
   a. Sealing (ringing) medium you are using:
       #Nail enamel<manufacturer, product name, colour, etc.>
       #Gryptal (no longer available?)
       #Murrayite (The Biology Shop)
       #HSR medium (Midori-juji)    #Other <  >
       #Do not seal (ring)
   b. Reason for using that medium: <  >
   c. Sealing (ringing) once, twice, or more...:
       #Once    #Twice <duration between first and second time  >
       #Other <  >
   d. Any other comments on sealing (ringing) medium...: <  >

 9. Storing preparation
   a. Container:
       #Slide box    #Other <  >
   [b-d: for chooser of "Slide box" in a]
   b. Material:
       #Wooden    #Plastics or similar material   #Other <  >
   c. Structure:
       #Cover is hinged to body; folded when store
       #Cover is free from body; put it onto body when store
       #Other <  >
   d. Volume (number of slides par a box):
       #100    #50    #25    #12    #Other <  >
   e. Reason for using that container: <  >
   f. Orientation of slides:
       #Put slides flat, cover glass upwards
       #Put slides flat, cover glass downwards
       #Put slides vertically
   g. Reason for using that orientation: <  >
   h. Storage place:
       #Flapped shelf    #Flapless shelf    #Desktop    #Other <  >
   i. Storage room:
       #Special room such as a specimen room
       #Ordinary room such as a laboratory, office, etc.
       #Other <  >
   j. Moisture control in storage room:
       #Moistening    #Do nothing    #Desiccating
   k. Any other comments on Storing...: <  >

10. Ageing of preparation
   a. Ageing appears in slides:
       #No change    #Colour of mounting medium become darken
       #Invasion of air    #Other <  >
   b. (for chooser of "No change" in a)
      How long does it last in good condition, as far as you know?
      (eg. 50 years): <  >
   [c-e: for chooser of "Colour of mounting medium..." in a]
   c. Frequency to become darken (eg. 5 slides out of 10): <  >
   d. Average period to begin to become darken (eg. 1 year): <  >
   e. Average period to lose the value as a preparation (eg. 3
      years): <  >
   [f-h: for chooser of Invasion of air" in a]
   f. Frequency to be invaded by air (eg. 5 slides out of 10): <  >
   g. Average period to begin to be invaded by air (eg. 1 year): <  >
   h. Average period to lose the value as a preparation (eg. 3
      years): <  >
   i. (for chooser of "Other" in a)
      describe "symptom" in the same way as c, d: <  >
   j. Any other comments on Ageing...: <  >

11. Counteraction for ageing
    (for answerer of either of c, d, e in 10.)
   a. Is it possible to remount material when it damaged?:
       #yes    #No
   [b,c: for chooser of "Yes" in a]
   b. Method to soften mounting medium (eg. keep in a moistened
      container such as a desiccator): <  >
   c. Success rate of remounting:
       #almost 100%    #over 50%    #less than 50%
   [d,e: for chooser of "No" in a]
   d. Reason why it is impossible (eg. material is so weak that it
      break into separate parts): <  >
   e. Action to prevent damage of preparation:
       #Examine all slides periodically <eg. once a year> and remount
        if it begin to darken
       #Examine all slides periodically <eg. once a year> and seal
        (ring) again if it begin to dry
       #Do nothing (give up when damaged)
       #Other <  >
   f.  Any other comments on Counteraction for ageing...: <  >

12. Any other comments on mounting and preserving method... (any
    matter which is not included above items, how you reached to your
    present method, failure you experienced, comments for the method
    now I am adopting ["My present method of mounting and preserving
    pauropods" are given as ** in [ADDENDA] at the end of this
    questionnaire], etc.): <  >

13. Give references you think valuable in considering mounting and
    preserving method ("Literature concerning method in making
    microscopic preparation of small arthropods so far I have known"
    are given as *** in [ADDENDA]): <  >

Thank you very much for taking the time to complete the questionnaire.

At last I would like to know your personal information; I may contact
you again by postal mail, FAX, or TEL as well as e-mail:
    Name: <  >
    E-mail address: <  >
    Postal address: <  >
    FAX or TEL: <FAX:  TEL:>

Thank you very much again for your kindest co-operation.

----------[ADDENDA]----------
* Examples of formulas for some mounting media
----------------------------
Hoyer's medium
----------------------------
distilled water ........ 25g
gum arabic ............. 15g
chloralhydrate ........ 100g
glycerin ............... 10g
----------------------------

----------------------------
Gum-chloral
----------------------------
gum arabic  ............. 8g
chloralhydrate ......... 30g
distilled water ........ 10ml
acetic acid ............. 1ml
glycerin ................ 2ml
----------------------------

----------------------------
Heinze's medium
----------------------------
polyvinyl alcohol ...... 10g
lactic acid ............ 35cc
phenol(15%) ............ 25cc
glycerin ............... 10cc
chloralhydrate ......... 20g
distilled water .... 60@80cc
----------------------------

----------------------------
SWAN's medium
----------------------------
distilled water ........ 20g
gum arabic ............. 15g
chloralhydrate ......... 60g
glucose ................. 3g
acetic acid ............. 5g
----------------------------
 

** My present method of mounting and preserving pauropods
(1) Use a 32x24mm cover glass as a slide glass, for I have to examine
    pauropods from both dorsal and ventral sides with oil immersion
    lens.
(2) Place a material, which was stored in 70-80% ethanol, onto the
    "slide glass" mentioned above (excess ethanol was removed with
    filtre paper), drip a drop of Hoyer's medium.
(3) Put a 15mm circle cover glass over the material gently.
(4) Let preparation as it is for 2 weeks for drying; no special
    apparatus such as a hot plate nor an incubator is used.
(5) Seal (ring) with nail enamel (OVERCOAT, SHISEIDO).
(6) Mount preparation on an aluminium flame (same to one which was
    used by excellent Danish proturan taxonomist, late Prof. Dr.
    S.L.TUXEN), store in a slide box (wooden 100 slides) and put the
    box on a flapless-shelf.
 

*** Literature concerning method in making microscopic preparation of
    small arthropods so far I have known (ones written in Japanese
    omitted)
Dindal, L. D. (ed.), 1990.  Soil  Biology Guide.  Wiley. xiii +
    1349 pp.
Evans, G. O., J. G. Sheals and D. Macfarlane, 1961.  The terrestrial
    Acari of the British Isles. vol. I.  Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.),
    London, vii + 219 pp. [not obtained yet]
Gray, P., 1954.  The microtomist's formulary and guide.  Blakiston.
    xiii + 794 pp.
Grony, M. and L. Grum (ed.), 1993.  Methods  in  Soil  Zoology.
    Elsevier. xii+459 pp.
Krantz, G. W., 1978.  A manual of acarology  (2nd. ed.).  Oregon State
    Univ. BookStores, Inc., Corvallis, viii + 509 pp. [not obtained yet]
Martin, J. E. H. 1977.  The Insects and Arachnids of Canada.  Part 1.
    Collecting, Preparing, and Preserving Insects, Mites and Spiders.
    Publication 1643, Agriculture Canada.  182 pp.
Saito, Y. and Mh, Osakabe, 1992.  A new fixation method for preparing
    mite specimens for optical and SEM microscopic observations.
    Appl. Entomol. Zool., 27: 427-436.
Saito, Y., Mh, Osakabe, Y. Sakagami and Y. Yasui, 1993.  A method for
    preparing permanent specimens of mites with Canada balsam.  Appl.
    Entomol. Zool., 28: 593-597.
Singer, G., 1967.  A comparison between different mounting techniques
    commonly employed in acarology.  Acarologia, 9: 475-484.
Theron, J. G., 1958.  Comparative studies on the morphology of male
    scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea).  Ann. Univ. Stellenbosch,
    34: 1-71 + 42 figs. [not obtained yet]

========== The end of the QUESTIONNAIRE ==========

****Please reply to: unlimited.power@connectfree.co.uk
From:  unlimited.power@connectfree.co.uk
To: <zhangz@landcare.cri.nz>
Date:  3/29/01 9:32
Subject:  Dermatophagoides cultures

Dear Dr Zhang

I came across your web page - and email address- while attempting to find house dust mite culture methods. I am heading a research group working on the involvement of human common cold viruses (mainly rhinoviruses) on asthma. While these viruses are implicated in over 80% of asthma attacks, no one knows the mechanisms of any possible synergy between these agents and the house dust mites (mainly dermatophagoides spp) on the airway epithelium. Dermatophagoides allergens have protease activities that may synergize with rhinoviruses though the transcription factor NF-kB.
We are therefore planning to co-culture lung epithelial cells with virus and dermatophagoides allergens with determined protease activities. However, we are not familiar with the techniques of mite isolation and/or culture, on which your expertise could be invaluable. We will be obliged if you could guide us to either publications or dermatophagoides experts that could help us in that respect.
Thanks in advance

Frankly

Nikolaos G. Papadopoulos, MD PhD
Allergy Unit
2nd Dpt of Pediatrics
University of Athens

On Wed, 28 Mar 2001, Cheol-Min Kim wrote:

> Dear Acarophiles,
>
> Long time ago, I excerpted the following quote from the source that I
> do not recall  right now.
>
>
> "Acarology is, in fact, in a state of systematic turmoil similar to
> that experienced by entomologists a century ago." --- G. W. Krantz

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

It's in the Manual of Acarology (both editions) under Classification (page
55 in the first edition and page 99 in the second).

                            Jerry Krantz

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
>
> I should be greatly appreciated if anyone in the net could give me the
> citation. TIA.
>
> All the best,  Cheol-Min Kim
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> Nature created species; Man created genera.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> Cheol-Min Kim
>
> Acarology Laboratory  (OSAL)
>
> Museum of Biological Diversity
>
> Ohio State University
>
> 1315 Kinnear Rd.
>
> Columbus, OH, 43212-1192, U.S.A.
>
>
> Tel: +1-(614) 292-7180
>
> Fax: +1-(614) 292-7774
>
> E-mail: Kim.296@osu.edu
 
 
 
 
 
 

CC: <acarology@nhm.ac.uk>

Dear Acarophiles,

Long time ago, I excerpted the following quote from the source that I
do not recall  right now.

"Acarology is, in fact, in a state of systematic turmoil similar to
that experienced by entomologists a century ago." --- G. W. Krantz

I should be greatly appreciated if anyone in the net could give me the
citation. TIA.

All the best,  Cheol-Min Kim
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nature created species; Man created genera.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cheol-Min Kim

Acarology Laboratory  (OSAL)

Museum of Biological Diversity

Ohio State University

1315 Kinnear Rd.

Columbus, OH, 43212-1192, U.S.A.
 

Tel: +1-(614) 292-7180

Fax: +1-(614) 292-7774

E-mail: Kim.296@osu.edu
 

Hello Tim,

You can find them in Thyrophagus, but they like Amblyseius cucumeris and
Amblyseius degenerans eggs.

Kris

-----Original Message-----
From: Zhi-Qiang Zhang [mailto:ZhangZ@landcare.cri.nz]
Sent: donderdag 22 maart 2001 22:25
To: acarology@nhm.ac.uk
Subject: fwd:Rearing Neoseiulus barkeri on Tyrophagus putrescentiae?
 

*** This is a forwarded message. Please reply to tg@cri.co.za

To: acarology@nhm.ac.uk
From: tg@cri.co.za
Subject: Rearing Neoseiulus barkeri on Tyrophagus putrescentiae?
Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2001 10:26:31 +0200

Greetings all

I am aware that Neoseiulus barkeri has lost popularity over the last 10
years but I would like to establish a culture of an indigenous strain in
South Africa.  Can anyone tell me whether it can be reared successfully on
Tyrophagus putrescentiae?  Thank you.

Tim
 

Tim G Grout, PhD
Research Manager: IPM
Outspan Citrus Centre
P O Box 28, Nelspruit, 1200 South Africa
Phone +27 13 759 8048  Fax +27 13 755 2281
www.citrusres.com
Email address: tg@cri.co.za

From:  "Xavier Ducarme" <<Ducarme@ecol.ucl.ac.be>

To:      acarology@nhm.ac.uk

Subject:       Riccardoella

Date sent:    Wed, 28 Mar 2001 14:19:49 +0200
 

Dear Xavier,

 <italic>Riccardoella limacum</italic> and <italic>R. oudemansi</italic> are recorded for the
first time from South Africa and I am busy preparing a short
publication on this. Both were apparently collected from the snail
<italic>Helix aspersa, </italic>however, I have not yet mounted the few specimens
collected from a slug species. I can send you slide-mounted
specimens of <italic>R. limacum</italic> which, appear to be the dominant
species and alcohol material of the same species if you are
interested. All my friends and colleagues are on the look-out for all
kinds of snails and slugs at the moment and I hope to even found
new species in future.

 Kind regards

 Eddie A. Ueckermann
 

Dear colleagues,
 

H. André and I are (re)describing some (new) species of
Riccardoella

(Actinedida: Ereynetidae). We will be delighted to receive additional

material for study:
 

- Riccardoella from Europe (NOT from snail and slugs)

- Riccardoella from other parts of the world (any habitat/host)
 

With many thanks for your courtesy,
 
 

*********************************************

Xavier DUCARME

Aspirant FNRS

Unité d'Écologie et de Biogéographie

Université catholique de Louvain

Place Croix du Sud 5

B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve

+32-10-47 36 88

Fax: +32-10-47 34 90

Ducarme@ecol.ucl.ac.be

**********************************************
 
 

<color><param>0100,0100,0100</param>------- End of forwarded message -------

<nofill>
ARC-Plant Protection Research Institute
Biosystematic Division: Arachnology
Private bag X134
Pretoria
0001 South Africa
Tel:+27-12-329 3269-77 ext. 221
Fax:+27-12-329 3278
E-mail:rieteau@plant2.agric.za
Web:www.arc.agric.za

Dear colleagues,

H. André and I are (re)describing some (new) species of Riccardoella
(Actinedida: Ereynetidae). We will be delighted to receive additional
material for study:

- Riccardoella from Europe (NOT from snail and slugs)
- Riccardoella from other parts of the world (any habitat/host)

With many thanks for your courtesy,
 

*********************************************
Xavier DUCARME
Aspirant FNRS
Unité d'Écologie et de Biogéographie
Université catholique de Louvain
Place Croix du Sud 5
B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
+32-10-47 36 88
Fax: +32-10-47 34 90
Ducarme@ecol.ucl.ac.be
**********************************************
 
 

Greetings all

I am aware that Neoseiulus barkeri has lost popularity over the last 10
years but I would like to establish a culture of an indigenous strain in
South Africa.  Can anyone tell me whether it can be reared successfully on
Tyrophagus putrescentiae?  Thank you.

Tim
 

Tim G Grout, PhD
Research Manager: IPM
Outspan Citrus Centre
P O Box 28, Nelspruit, 1200 South Africa
Phone +27 13 759 8048  Fax +27 13 755 2281
www.citrusres.com
Email address: tg@cri.co.za

Dear Colleagues: I am working in artificial feeding of ticks through
membranes. I am interested in papers relatives to body weight changes of
ticks during feeding. I would like to receive the article: Kitaoka y Yajima,
1958; Physiological and ecological studies on some ticks. I. Process of
growth by bloodsucking. Bull. Nat. Inst. Hlth., Tokyo (34): 135-47 and other
on the same or related subject. Thanks in advance. Rafael.

At 7:28 PM -0500 3/20/01, bhebert wrote:
>I have an infestation of mites in a beetle culture that are causing some
>problems in the areas where I raise my animals.  These may simply be some
>sort of Dermatophagoides, but I have had tremendous infestations (over a
>full cup) in some of my cultures and they are difficult to get rid of.
>
>Would anyone care to give me a positive ID?
>
Several species of Acaridae and Histiostomatidae often overrun insect
cultures, especially if they're moist.  Acarids in the genera Tyrophagus
and Sancassania (=Caloglyphus) are the most common, but if there is wet
material around, you can also get species of Histiostoma
(Histiostomatidae).  It would be unlikely that Dermatophagoides would be
involved in this situation since they feed primarily on high protein
materials.  You didn't mention what kind of beetles you are rearing, and
this could have some bearing on the mite associations.
 All the best! - Barry

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
So many mites, so little time!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barry M. OConnor
Professor & Curator             phone: (734) 763-4354
Museum of Zoology               FAX: (734) 763-4080
University of Michigan          e-mail: bmoc@umich.edu
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079  USA

Prezado Senhor,

 consulte:

  Jeppson, L.R., Keifer, H.H. & E.W. Baker, 1975
  Mites Injurious to Economic Plants
  Univ.California Press, 614 p +  74 pl.
  ISBN 0 520 02381 1

     Atenciosamente

     Carlos Flechtmann
     Universidade de Sao Paulo
     Brasil

Dear experts,
I would very much appreciate information on the following specires:

Galendromus (Typhlodromus) occidentalis (Nesbitt)
Eotetranychus sexmaculatus (Riley)

I need adult body size, reproduction rate, and average life span, if these
are available.

Many thanks,
Michael Fuller

----------------------------------------
Michael Fuller
Graduate Student
Department of Biology
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131

Dear members of the acarology list,

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a message asking for info about bird mites
because my wife and I were suffering from what we thought were bird mites.

An entomologist has since discovered that what I have on my skin are
baker's itch mites (rather than bird mites). Can someone tell me more about
baker's itch mites (acarus siro)?

What ways are there to get rid of them from my environment? How can I get
them off of my skin and out of my scalp?

Would home fumigation with Vikane kill this type of mite?

In a home, where do they live? where do they breed?

Do they breed on humans? lay eggs in/on the skin? in the scalp?

If I slap my skin with a piece of tape where I feel an itch, I often get a
black speck on the tape. What is that black speck?

Are baker's itch mites contagious? Do I need to worry about giving them to
other people via shaking their hands or kissing them on the cheek? Will
other people get them if they come into our home, say for an evening meal?

I would appreciate any info about these mites.

Ken Cook
 

Dear acarologists,

The Proceedings of the 10th International Congress of Acarology (Canberra)
is now in the hands of the publisher for final printing. We expect that
publication will be in June/July. Everyone who paid a full registration fee
will receive a free copy, and others can be bought from the publisher, CSIRO
Publishing, Melbourne. I will advise again when more details are available.

Thank you all for your patience.

Bruce Halliday

***********************************************************
Dr. R. B. Halliday
CSIRO Entomology
GPO Box 1700
Canberra ACT 2601
Australia

Telephone (02) 6246 4085
Mobile 0438 543509
International Telephone (61) (2) 6246 4085
Fax (02) 6246 4000
International Fax (61) (2) 6246 4000

E-mail bruceh@ento.csiro.au
http://www.ento.csiro.au/research/natres/natres.html
***********************************************************

Dear fellow Acarologists,
                          Can anyone provide me the e mail ID / complete =
postal Address of the following acarologists
                            1) Dr N N Kuznetzov of  USSR
                            2) Dr W. Calvin Welbourn of USA
                            3) Dr Andrzej Kazmierski of Poland
Thanks
Dr MS Dhooria
Senior Entomologist=20
Deptt. of Entomology
Punjab Agricultural University
Ludhiana-141004
Punjab
INDIA

Dear Soenke

We have a publication from our former collaborator Karl Dorn which deals
with Pyemotes:
Martin Grob, Karl Dorn, Stephan Lautenschlager; Getreidekrätze -Eine kleine
Epidemie durch Pyemotes spezies; Der Hautarzt, 1998, 49: 838-843 (Springer
Verlag 1998). In the publication there are two pictures of Pyemotes. One is
a hungry female, the other a fed female with the "Kugelbauch) and a larva.
We have these pictures as slides. We could scan them and send them by e-mail
if you are interested. Let us know. Thanks
Marcus

Marcus Schmidt
Beratungsstelle Schädlingsbekämpfung
Umwelt- und Gesundheitsschutz Zürich (UGZ)
Walchestrasse 33
Postfach
8035 Zürich
Tel.: 01 216 28 38
Fax: 01 216 50 41
e-mail: marcus.schmidt@gud.stzh.ch
http://www.ugz.stzh.ch.
> http://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/ugz/umwelt/index.htm

Dear Soenke

 Take a look at

  International Journal of Acarology

  1987 - 13 (3)  -  front cover

 There are several Acarologist in Germany who migh have this
periodical

  C. Decke  -  decke@uni-duesseldorf.de

  R. Gerecke  -  gerecke@uni-tuebingen.de

  M. Maraun  -  maraun@bio.tu-darmstadt.de

     Sincerely

      Carlos Flechtmann
      Univ. Sao Paulo
      Brasil

***This is a forwarded message. Please reply to a.dernburg@vet-lyon.fr
______________________________________________________
Mar 2001 11:12:27 +0100
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2001 11:15:44 +0100
To: acarology@nhm.ac.uk=20
From: Ann DERNBURG <a.dernburg@vet-lyon.fr>

I am seeking information on the economic impact of poultry mites
(Dermanyssus and Ornithonyssus) worlwide. I have DeVeneys articles. Does
anybody have other info?

Thanks in advance,
Ann
Ann Dernburg
Ma=3DEEtre de Conf=3DE8rences=3D20
Unit=3DE9 de Ethnologie, Zootechnie, et Economie Rurale
Ecole Nationale V=3DE9t=3DE9rinaire de Lyon
1 Ave. Bourgelat
B.P. 83
69280 Marcy l'Etoile
tel: 04 78 87 25 25 poste 3380
fax/s=3DE9cr=3DE9tariat: 04 78 87 26 67

****This is a forwarded message. Please reply to soenke.mones@dva.de

From:  Soenke Mones <soenke.mones@dva.de>
To: <ZhangZ@landcare.cri.nz>
Date:  3/16/01 7:07
Subject:  Picture Request

Dear Zhi-Qiang Zhang,

My name is Soenke Mones, I am picture researcher at German science
magazine bild der wissenschaft. I am looking for a photo of Pyemotes
(hay mites). It is in connection with an article about Mad Cow Disease.
Do you know a scientist I could ask about this photo?

I would be very grateful if you could help me.

Yours sincerely,
Soenke Mones

--
Soenke Mones
Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt GmbH
Fotoredaktion bild der wissenschaft
Neckarstr. 121 - D-70190 Stuttgart
Telefon +49 711 22292712 Telefax -750

Zhi-Qiang Zhang
Acarologist
Landcare Research
P.B. 92170
Auckland
New Zealand

phone [0064-9] 815-4200 ext 7069
Fax (0064-9) 849-7093
E-mail  zhangz@landcare.cri.nz
webpage   www.nhm.ac.uk/hosted_sites/acarology/zhang/

Dear Colleagues,

Do all  larval mites of superfamily Tetranychoidea have "duplex setae"?
Have you ever seen the structure in other families of Prostigmata?

Qinghai Fan
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Qinghai Fan
Department of Plant Protection
Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University
Fuzhou 350002, Fujian
P.R. China
phone: 86 591 3771181
email: qhfan@pub2.fz.fj.cn
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/hosted_sites/acarology/saas/member/Fanqh.htm

Dear acarologists:

Can anyone help me with this publication:

Gimenes, D.F., 1964. Staining rickettsiae in yolk-sac cultures. Stain Technol., 39: 135-140.

I am working with rickettsias in ticks and I need this publication for my protocol o if is possible send me an abstract of the method.
 

I would like to have a fotocopy of that paper, please send me any help to CASILLA O3 ICA-PERU, SUDAMERICA or Lemurica@latinmail.com

Thank you in advance

Leonardo Mendoza Uribe

División de Entomología
Instituto Nacional de Salud
Lima, Perú

_________________________________________________________
http://www.latinmail.com.  Gratuito, latino y en español.

> Does anyone know of references/info sources on microsporidia that infect
> mites?  Some of my stock cultures have suddenly lost fertility and a
> colleague who works on insect epidemiology suggests that microsporidia may
> be the cause.
 

I know only oribatid mites......

 Purrini, K. (1981) Studies on some amoebae (Amoebida) and Helicosporidium parasiticum
(Helicosporida) Infecting moss-mites (Oribatei, Acarina) in dorest soil samples.
Arch. Protistenk. 124: 303-311.

 Purrini, K., Bukva, V. and Baumler, W. (1979) Sporozoen in Hornmilben
   (Oribatei, Acarina) aus Waldboden Suddeutschlands nebst Beschreiburng
von Gregarina postneri n. sp. und Gregarina fuscozetis n. sp. (Gregarinidae, Sporozoa,
Protozoa). Pedobiologia 18: 329-339.

Dr. Purrini reported many cases of Sporozoa in Orimbatid mites.

Best wishes

Satoshi

@@@@@……@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@……@@@@@
Satoshi Shimano,  Ph. D.
Department of Upland Farming
Tohoku National Agricultural Experiment Station
Arai, Fukushima, 960-2156, Japan
satoshis@fk.affrc.go.jp
Fax. +81-24-593-2155

>Does anyone know of references/info sources on microsporidia that
>infect mites?

Bjornson S. and Keddie B. A. 1999. Effects of Microsporidium
phytoseiuli (Microsporidia) on the performance of the predatory mite,
Phytoseiulus persimilis (Acari: Phytoseiidae). Biological Control 15:
153-161.

Bjornson S. and Keddie B. A. 2000. Development and pathology of two
undescribed species of microsporidia infecting the predatory mite,
Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot. Journal of Invertebrate
Pathology 76: 293-300.

Bjornson S., Steiner M. Y. and Keddie B. A. 1996. Ultrastructure and
pathology of Microsporidium phytoseiuli n sp infecting the predatory
mite, phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae).
Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 68: 223-230.

Bjornson S., Steiner M. Y. and Keddie B. A. 1997. Birefringent
crystals and abdominal discoloration in the predatory mite
Phytoseiulus persimilis (Acari: Phytoseiidae). Journal of
Invertebrate Pathology 69: 85-91.

Larsson J. I. R., Steiner M. Y. and Bjornson S. 1997. Intexta
acarivora gen. et sp. n. (Microspora: Chytridiopsidae):
ultrastructural study and description of a new microsporidian
parasite of the forage mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Acari:
Acaridae). Acta Protozoologica 36: 295-304.

Ribeiro M. F. B. and Guimaraes A. M. 1998. Encephalitozoon-like
microsporidia in the ticks Amblyomma cajennense and Anocentor nitens
(Acari : Ixodidae). Journal of Medical Entomology 35: 1029-1033.

Van der Geest L. P. S., Elliot S. L., Breeuwer J. A. J. and Beerling,
E. A. M.  2000. Diseases of mites. Experimental and Applied Acarology
24: 497-560.

Weiser J., Rehacek J., Zizka Z., Ciampor F. and Kocianova, E. 1999.
Nosema slovaca Weiser et Rehacek, 1975 and Unikaryon ixodis (Weiser,
1957) comb. n. in ixodid ticks. Acta Parasitologica 44: 99-107.

Regards,

Dr. Robert Cruickshank
Division of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (DEEB)
Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences (IBLS)
University of Glasgow
Graham Kerr Building
GLASGOW G12 8QQ
Strathclyde
Scotland, U.K.

Telephone       +44 (0)141 330 6626 (office)
  +44 (0)141 330 3561 (lab)
Fax             +44 (0)141 330 2792
e-mail          rhc3d@udcf.gla.ac.uk
www  http://taxonomy.zoology.gla.ac.uk/~rcruicks/rcruickshank.html

Hello everyone

Does anyone know of references/info sources on microsporidia that infect
mites?  Some of my stock cultures have suddenly lost fertility and a
colleague who works on insect epidemiology suggests that microsporidia may
be the cause.

Many thanks

Tim
 

Dr Tim Benton

Institute of Biological Sciences
University of Stirling
STIRLING
FK9 4LA, UK
tel (0)1786 467809
fax (0)1786 464994
email t.g.benton@stir.ac.uk

I am looking for some sort of adhesive that might be effectively used to trap mites
that migrate into it.

Specifically, the mite of interest is clover mite, Bryobia praetiosa.  It readily
will walk up stakes placed in turfgrass areas but I would like some sort of adhesive
that would trap in place those that wander onto the stakes.  (These mites, as most
of you probably know, readily drop when disturbed, making quanitification of their
presence difficult.)

I have tried the standard materials I use for insects, Tanglefoot and Stick-em
Special (USA product names).  The mites, upon contact, avoid the treated surface and
do not get ensnared.

Any suggestions as to an adhesive that is good for coating a trap that would capture
and hold a clover mite that contacts and subsequently walks across the surface?

Whitney Cranshaw
Colorado State University
Ft. Collins, CO  USA

wcransha@ceres.agsci.colostate.edu
 

Dear Acarologists,
some time ago I informed that I was trying to get information on salivary
composition of eriophyoid mites.

I have preliminary tested about a dozen of species causing several injuries
to get salivary spit in oil. And I tested several oils finding that the
mites are able to spit largely in oil commonly used for immersion oil
objectives.

The species which gave us more success was Aceria caulobia, common in
Southern Italy on Suaeda fruticosa, causing large galls on the stems.

By means of several cares we were able to concentrate (by means of an air
flow) a lot of specimens with the oil and then carefully we sieved the
fluid (oil and phosphate buffer) by a nylon filter with pore less than 20
microns to avoid the passage of individuals into the filtered emulsion. We
checked also that the specimens were integre after the extraction.

Than we tested the water phase with two bio-tests:

1) wheat coleoptile length for auxine presence with three different thesis:
phosphate buffer, extracted water phase, and water solution of pure hormon
(alfa indol acetic acid)

2) radish cotyledon weight for kinetin presence with three different
thesis: phosphate buffer, extracted water phase, and water solution of pure
hormon (cinetine)

The preliminary tests gave us interesting answers. Of course we have to
re-arrange the amount of the hormones, but the cotyledons and the
coleoptiles in extracted water phase increased largely more than the
phosphate buffer and a bit less than the hormon solutions.

But we would like to go over this. Of course we have to repeat the
bio-tests, but we would like to try in defining the chemical composition by
other techniques.

So, the question is: are there people which have been worked with CG-MS or
HPLC for getting these data? How protocol they have applied?

Moreover, one hypothesis is that eriophyoids could transmit small peaces of
nucleic acid by saliva into the plant cells. So, the question is: are there
people which have been worked on this way? Could they give me information?
PCR could work in this, but .... ?

Finally, I have tried several times to find the chemical composition of the
Olympus immersion oil for ordinary use in microscopy, but I was not able to
get data. Could someone help me?

Sorry for this long letter, but the topic is so complicated that I am not
able to solve by myself all the troubles.

Thanks a lot

Enrico de Lillo

CC: <delillo@agr.uniba.it>

Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2001 09:20:01 -0800
To: acarology@nhm.ac.uk
From: "Andrew J. Bohonak" <bohonak@sciences.sdsu.edu>
Subject: Re: extracting DNA from mites

Hello all,

just to add another 2 cents...

I have been sequencing water mites and other minute freshwater
arthropods (admittedly, Hydracarina are larger than many other mite
taxa) after extracting with 1) standard phenol-choroform, 2) chelex
and 3) Qiagen DNEasy kits.

I would endorse the Qiagen kits and chelex for ease of use and
suggest that overnight incubation in the lysis buffer is preferable
to incubation for only a few hours.  However, quality of DNA in
chelex seems to degrade over time, whereas the Qiagen extractions do
not.  It may have something to do with the buffers.
 
 

Andy
 

--

Andrew J. Bohonak

Assistant Professor
San Diego State University
Department of Biology
San Diego, CA  92182-4614

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Phone:  619-594-0414
Fax:    619-594-5676
Email:  bohonak@sciences.sdsu.edu
Web:    http://www.bio.sdsu.edu/pub/andy/index.html
Office: 212 Life Science North

Hello Lucie (and other acarologists),

I would recommend you try the DNAeasy tissue kit from QIAGEN (no
affiliation). Recently I have been using this kit to extract DNA from
lice while preserving the exoskeletons for slide mounting as voucher
specimens. First I decapitate the louse, then I put both the head and
body (with no further grinding necessary) into the lysis buffer
provided in the kit and incubate at 55 degrees C over two nights. I
then remove the head and body of the louse, which are still intact,
and these are subsequently slide mounted as voucher specimens. These
vouchers can be used to check the identification of the lice I have
sequenced, or to score morphological characters for use in
phylogenetic analyses along side the molecular characters. DNA is
extracted from the remaining lysate according to the protocol given
in the QIAGEN handbook. I've also used this protocol on mites and
complete grinding up is only necessary for the very smallest mites.
This is far and away the best method I've found for extracting DNA
from microarthropods and I urge you to try it.

For more information, check out these websites...
http://www.qiagen.com/catalog/chapter_05/chap5a1.asp
http://www.qiagen.com/literature/handbooks/dny/dnytiss/1011607_dnsy_499.pdf

For other methods of extracting DNA from mites check out the
protocols on my website at
http://taxonomy.zoology.gla.ac.uk/~rcruicks/pb.html.

Good Luck!

Dr. Robert Cruickshank
Division of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (DEEB)
Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences (IBLS)
University of Glasgow
Graham Kerr Building
GLASGOW G12 8QQ
Strathclyde
Scotland, U.K.

Telephone       +44 (0)141 330 6626 (office)
  +44 (0)141 330 3561 (lab)
Fax             +44 (0)141 330 2792
e-mail          rhc3d@udcf.gla.ac.uk
www  http://taxonomy.zoology.gla.ac.uk/~rcruicks/rcruickshank.html
 

Dear acarophiles,
I have just found that the message that I sent to acarology list has been
bounced. I am, accordingly, sending it off again. I just thought that this
year's ionosphere is thick enough to propagate this signal up there...
Best,  Cheol-Min
 

Dear Lucie and other acarophiles,
Hybrid but solid state acarologists, who study both morphology and
molecules, at the OSAL here, led by Hans Klompen, follow *standard*
*homebrewed* CTAB extraction protocol with 1-6 individuals of mites, which
works *very* fine with freshly preserved materials. Fresh preservation
implies that the mites are, if parasitic or phoretic, separated from their
hosts and then preserved in at least 95% ethanol. These samples are then
stored at -80C so-low freezer until they are materialized.

I think that the closest person to be contacted from the UK regarding this
matter is B. Fenton at Scottish Crop Research Institute, who extracted,
PCRed, and RFLPed DNA from eriophyid mites. He used Nucleon Kit (Scotlab,
Lanark, Scotland). His address is:

B. Fenton
Scottish Crop Research Institute
Invergowrie, Dundee  DD2 5DA
Scotland, U.K.

All the best, Cheol-Min

On Thu, 1 Mar 2001 17:26:45 UTC  Lucinda Evans wrote,

>Hello All,
>
>Can anyone suggest a useful protocol for extracting DNA from very samll
>numbers of mites ??????
>
>
>I am running molecular work on Psoroptes and Sarcoptes mites and am having
>difficulties getting useful DNA out of fewer than 20 or so pooled individuals.
>
>Any help anyone can send my way will be gratefully received.
>
>Thank you in advance
>Lucie Evans
>
>Hatherly Labs
>University of Exeter
>Prince of Wales Road
>Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nature created species; Man created genera.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cheol-Min Kim
Acarology Laboratory
Museum of Biological Diversity
The Ohio State University
1315 Kinnear Rd.
Columbus, OH, 43212-1192, U.S.A.

Tel: +1-(614) 292-7180
Fax: +1-(614) 292-7774
E-mail: Kim.296@osu.edu
 
 
 
 

CC: <acarology@nhm.ac.uk>

Lucie (and anyone else who is interested),

I have had good luck extracting DNA from individual larval Dermacentor ticks
(pretty small, but maybe not as small as mites?) using the IsoQuick Nucleic
Acid Extraction kit (ORCA Research, Inc., Bothell Washington, 98041, USA).
I've modified the protocol to include grinding in LN2 and Proteinase K
digestion before extraction. I resuspend the DNA in 50 ul of water and have
plenty of DNA for 20-30 PCR reactions. For small mites you may want to
resuspend the DNA in a smaller volume of water. I've done about 100 larvae
from 5 different species and had 100% success amplifying 16s rDNA  and ITS2.
Send me an E-mail if you would like more details.

Glen
 

********************************
Glen A. Scoles, Ph.D.
Research Entomologist
USDA, ARS, Animal Disease Research Unit
4015 ADBF, Washington State University
PO Box 646630
Pullman, WA, 99164-6630
Office: (509) 335-6337
Lab: (509) 335-6347
FAX: (509) 335-8328
E-mail: scoles@vetmed.wsu.edu
********************************
 

> ----------
> From:  Lucinda Evans
> Sent:  Thursday, March 1, 2001 9:26 AM
> To:  acarology@nhm.ac.uk
> Subject:  extracting DNA from mites
>
> Hello All,
>
> Can anyone suggest a useful protocol for extracting DNA from very samll
> numbers of mites ??????
>
>
> I am running molecular work on Psoroptes and Sarcoptes mites and am having
>
> difficulties getting useful DNA out of fewer than 20 or so pooled
> individuals.
>
> Any help anyone can send my way will be gratefully received.
>
> Thank you in advance
> Lucie Evans
>
> Hatherly Labs
> University of Exeter
> Prince of Wales Road
> Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK

Hi Lucie,

We've had fair luck using a standard Chelex DNA extraction technique* using
batches of 5 mites (usually gravid females), but even a single mite or mite
eggs will work.   The specimens are mostly from cultures (Mesostigmata) or
field collections (Tetranychoidea) and were killed in 100% ethanol and then
stored in a freezer, or snap frozen at -70.   We've had less luck with
older specimens from 80% ethanol, room temperature stored collections.

Dr Nick Campbell (N.Campbell@mailbox.uq.oz.au) might be able to give you
some more technical advice.

*Hillis, D.M., Mable, B.K., Larson, A., Davis, S.K., and Zimmer, E.A.
1996. Nucleic acids IV: sequencing and cloning.  In "Molecular Systematics"
(D. M. Hillis, C. Moritz and B. K. Mable, eds), pp 321 - 384.  Sinauer,
Sunderland, Massachusetts.

Cheers,

Dave Walter

>Hello All,
>
>Can anyone suggest a useful protocol for extracting DNA from very samll
>numbers of mites ??????
>
>
>I am running molecular work on Psoroptes and Sarcoptes mites and am having
>difficulties getting useful DNA out of fewer than 20 or so pooled individuals.
>
>Any help anyone can send my way will be gratefully received.
>
>Thank you in advance
>Lucie Evans
>
>Hatherly Labs
>University of Exeter
>Prince of Wales Road
>Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK
 

Dr David Evans Walter
Department of Zoology & ENTOMOLOGY
Hartley-Teakle Building
The University of Queensland
St Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia

phone: 07-3365-1564
fax: (61) 7-3365-1922

The University of Queensland Program in Entomology
http://www.uq.edu.au/entomology/courses.html
Cooperative Reseach Centre for Tropical Plant Protection
http://www.tpp.uq.edu.au/

Visit the Mite Image Gallery at:
http://www.uq.edu.au/entomology/mite/mitetxt.html
Acarina Collection:
http://www.uq.edu.au/entomology/museum/mites/miteord.html

Beta test the LucID keys to:
Families of Parasitiformes in Soil:
http://www.lucidcentral.com/keys/cpitt/public/Mites/Parasitiformes/Default.htm
Soil Microarthropods
http://www.lucidcentral.com/keys/cpitt/public/Mites/Microarthropods/Index.htm
Orders, Suborders and Cohorts of Mites in Soil
http://www.lucidcentral.com/keys/cpitt/public/Mites/Soil%20Mites/Index.htm

CC: <acarology@nhm.ac.uk>, <N.Campbell@mailbox.uq.oz.au>

Hello All,

Can anyone suggest a useful protocol for extracting DNA from very samll
numbers of mites ??????
 

I am running molecular work on Psoroptes and Sarcoptes mites and am having
difficulties getting useful DNA out of fewer than 20 or so pooled individuals.

Any help anyone can send my way will be gratefully received.

Thank you in advance
Lucie Evans

Hatherly Labs
University of Exeter
Prince of Wales Road
Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK