Tuckerella


The peacock mites of the genus Tuckerella are a significant herbivorous pest in the tropics, for example on citrus fruit. Other species dwell in grasses, possibly as root feeders.
The peacock mite's name suggests that their feather-like setae adorning their backs are evocative of a peacock's plumage.
They also have long hair-like setae projecting from rear that have been compared to a trailing peacock tail. The 5–7 pairs of caudal setae can be flicked over the body very quickly, so they are used like whips in defense against predators. They may also help in wind-borne dispersal.
They are classified in the superfamily Tetranychoidea, being its most ornate members.

Species

Tuckerella anommata Smith-Meyer & Ueckermann, 1997 Tuckerella channabasavannai Mallik & Kumar, 1992 Tuckerella eloisae Servin & Otero, 1989 Tuckerella filipina Corpuz-Raros, 2001 Tuckerella hainanensis Lin & Fu, 1997 Tuckerella jianfengensis Lin & Fu, 1997 Tuckerella kumaonensis Gupta, 1979 Tuckerella litoralis Collyer, 1969Tuckerella nilotica Zaher & Rasmy, 1970 Tuckerella ornatus – type speciesTuckerella xiamenensis Lin, 1982 Tuckerella xinglongensis Lin-Yanmou & Fu-Yuegua, 1997
  • †Tuckerella fossilibus Khaustov, Sergeyenko & Perkovsky 2014
  • †Tuckerella weiterschani Sidorchuk & Khaustov, 2018