Acarina

Entries

A Dictionary of Biology A Dictionary of Zoology Further reading

NON JS

Acarina

A Dictionary of Biology | 2004
© A Dictionary of Biology 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004.

Acarina An order of small arthropods belonging to the class Arachnida and comprising the mites and ticks. There are over 30 000 described species, with perhaps 20 times this number still unknown, distributed worldwide in a wide variety of terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Many are free-living in soil or on vegetation, feeding on organic matter or preying on other small arthropods, while a significant number are parasites of plants and animals, including domesticated animals and humans. The adult body is generally globular or ovoid, with four pairs of legs. Unlike spiders, there is no `waist', the abdomen being fused to the more anterior prosoma. At the front of the body the capitulum bears the mouthparts, variously adapted for cutting, crushing, or piercing. The eggs hatch into a three-legged larva, which subsequently moults to a nymph resembling the adult. Ticks (up to 3 cm long) are ectoparasites of vertebrates, feeding on blood drawn through the skin of their host. They transmit a wide range of diseases, including certain forms of encephalitis and Lyme disease. Mites are much smaller (up to 4 mm long) and are parasitic or free-living. They tend to feed on feathers, hair, skin secretions, or skin debris, causing, for example, scabies in humans and mange in domesticated animals. The house-dust mite (Dermatophagoides) can provoke allergies or dermatitis. Spider mites are damaging parasites of plants and may infest some arable and greenhouse crops.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"Acarina." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 22 Sep. 2015 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Acarina." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (September 22, 2015). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-Acarina.html

"Acarina." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved September 22, 2015 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-Acarina.html

Learn more about citation styles

Citation styles

Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA).

Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list.

Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Therefore, it’s best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publication’s requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites:

Modern Language Association

http://www.mla.org/style

The Chicago Manual of Style

http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html

American Psychological Association

http://apastyle.apa.org/

Notes:
  • Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Refer to each style’s convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates.
  • In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list.

Acarina

A Dictionary of Zoology | 1999 |
© A Dictionary of Zoology 1999, originally published by Oxford University Press 1999.

Acarina (acari mites, ticks; class Arachnida) Order of small or very small arachnids most of which have a short, unsegmented abdomen. The body comprises the capitulum and a prosoma. In most forms the prosoma is covered by a single carapace (see CEPHALOTHORAX). The respiratory organs are tracheae. Many species are parasites of medical and veterinary importance, and many are agricultural pests. The Acarina are regarded by many zoologists as an unnatural, polyphyletic group comprising elements derived independently from different arachnid stocks. There are 20 000 known species, 2800 of which are aquatic, including some that are marine.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Acarina." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 22 Sep. 2015 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Acarina." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (September 22, 2015). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Acarina.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Acarina." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved September 22, 2015 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Acarina.html

Learn more about citation styles

Citation styles

Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA).

Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list.

Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Therefore, it’s best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publication’s requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites:

Modern Language Association

http://www.mla.org/style

The Chicago Manual of Style

http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html

American Psychological Association

http://apastyle.apa.org/

Notes:
  • Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Refer to each style’s convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates.
  • In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list.