Davids, C., 1997. Water-mites as parasites on dragonflies. Brachytron 1(2): 51-55. In this review on the relationship between odonates and water mites, special attention is given to the influence of parasitism on the individual odonate. Life and reproductive cycles of water mites are discussed in a short introduction. In the larval stage of water mites two phases can be distinguished: a phoretic phase on odonate larvae and a parasitic phase on the imagines. Site selection and the attachment process of the parasite on the host is described together with the formation of a stylostome. The rate of infestation may influence life time and reproductive success of the hosts. The known relationships between the different odonate and water mite species in north-west Europe are shown in a chart.

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Brachytron

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Nederlandse Vereniging voor Libellenstudie

Kees C. Davids. (1997). Watermijten als parasieten van libellen. Brachytron, 1(2), 51–55.