抄録
The gamasid mite, Parasitus sp. is a common manure-inhabiting mite. Although crowded deutonymphs of this species developed into adults normally, the rate of moult of the isolated ones was quite low. The moult of these long-lived solitary deutonymphs was induced by crowding. The most successful emergence of adults was achieved by the combination of male and female deutonymphs, or of male adult and female deutonymph. However, without sufficient supply of food (nematode) for their development, most of the deutonymphs remained in this stage even when they were reared in a crowded state. It was therefore concluded that a sufficient nutritive condition was a primary necessity for inducing moult in these deutonymphs, and that some unknown stimuli produced by association with other individuals might also play a contributory role.
