01481nas a2200157   4500008004100000245002300041210002300064260001500087300001000102490000700112520109700119653001001216100001601226700001801242856006301260       2009                        eng d00aCarcases and mites0 aCarcases and mites  c2009/07/24  a45-840 v493 a<p>Mites are involved in the decomposition of animal carcases and human corpses at every stage. From initial decay at the fresh stage until dry decomposition at the skeletal stage, a huge diversity of Acari, including members of the Mesostigmata, Prostigmata, Astigmata, Endeostigmata, Oribatida and Ixodida, are an integral part of the constantly changing food webs on, in and beneath the carrion. During the desiccation stage in wave 6 of M&eacute;gnin&rsquo;s system, mites can become the dominant fauna on the decomposing body. Under conditions unfavourable for the colonisation of insects, such as concealment, low temperature or mummification, mites might become the most important or even the only arthropods on a dead body. Some mite species will be represented by a few specimens, whereas others might build up in numbers to several million individuals. Astigmata are most prominent in numbers and Mesostigmata in diversity. More than 100 mite species and over 60 mite families were collected from animal carcases, and around 75 species and over 20 families from human corpses.</p>
10aAcari1 aBraig, H, R1 aPerotti, M, A  uhttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10493-009-9287-6