Food
Obligate ectoparasite of Labidomera spp.
Life Cycle
Females lay 1-2 eggs per day on the wings of the host. Larvae mature at the base of the wings or in the thoracic crevice, where they feed. The engorged nymphs then migrate to the ventral surface of the elytra and develop into adults. Adult females overwinter under the elytra of the diapausing host.
Remarks
Adults are transmitted horizontally through host-host contact, especially during copulation. The parasite has a small negative effect on host fitness.
Print References
Abbot, P. and L.M. Dill. 2001. Sexually transmitted parasites and sexual selection in the milkweed leaf beetle, Labidomera clivicollis. Oikos 92: 91-100. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0706.2001.920111.x
Baker, T.C. and G.C. Eikwort. 1975. Development and bionomics of Chrysomelobia labidomerae (Acari: Tarsonemina; Podapolipidae), a parasite of the milkweed leaf beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Can. Entomol. 107: 627-638. doi:10.4039/Ent107627-6
Husband, R.W. and A.H. Williams. 2014. Notes on
Chrysomelobia Labidomerae (Acari: Heterostigmata: Podapolipidae), parasites of
Labidomera clivicollis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in Michigan and Wisconsin. The Great Lakes Entomologist, 47(1): 46-50. (
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Contributed by
Aaron Hunt on 27 September, 2018 - 12:43pm
Additional contributions by
Mike QuinnLast updated 17 August, 2020 - 5:12pm
