The syntopic occurrence of velvet mites Trombidium spp. (Acariformes: Trombidiidae) with the first characteristics of the larva of Trombidium heterotrichum

Observations of representatives of Trombidium at one locality over two subsequent years revealed the syntopic occurrence of three species: T. holosericeum, T. brevimanum, and T. heterotrichum. The separate identities of the species, which were initially supported by morphological evidence, were confirmed with a molecular approach (COI sequence data) complemented by molecular species delimitation tools (ABGD, ASAP) and phylogenetic inference. Laboratory rearing of ovigerous females of T. heterotrichum resulted in obtaining hitherto unknown larvae of the species. The first characteristic of the larvae is supplemented with extended biometrical data and data on the biology and ecology of the species. We hypothesize that at syntopic and synchronous occurrence of Trombidium spp., the host spectrum contributes to the niche segregation.