Snail mites of the genus Riccardoella in Japan

Abstract

The genus Riccardoella Berlese, 1923 (Ereynetidae Oudemans, 1931) consists of eight species, and six of the eight species were reported and described from the lungs of terrestrial mollusks, and the remaining two were from soils. In Japan, three of the eight species have widely been reported from terrestrial mollusks. In this manuscript, we introduce species identification based on morphology, distribution, and hosts of these three Japanese mite species. Sampling methods, preparations of slide specimens and virulence of these mites were also added.