Hello,
I had a severely neglected Paraplecta parva (Blattodea species) culture here lying around and decided to put the soil with the Blattodea species in a formicarium of mine and this was when I recognized these small, orange-brownish mites. In worry they could be parasitic I instantly put a menthol impregnated paper on the soil to to possibly kill all mites. Oh and the mites currently don‘t sit on the roaches, they sit in and on top of the soil, but I need to be sure they aren’t opportunistic parasites.
I would be very grateful if anyone at least could identify the genus of the mite.
Bet regards,
André
I suggest you pull some mites off the soil. Clear them with 50-80 % lactic acid and put then in a small cavity slide and take pictures using a compound microscope. If they aren't too sclerotized, you can just put them in a small drop of lactic acid on the cavity slide, add a cover slip, and wait about an hour. You will be able to see the mites much better. I would suggest trying to get decent pictures of legs and mouthparts under at least 40x. Best regards, Robin
Once you've done what Robin suggested, you may also want to contact Maria (Masha) Minor: [email protected]
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