| Abstract: | An analysis of the extra-oral digestion in Parasitengona being a highly specialized group of Acariform mites is carried out from the viewpoint of functional morphology and ecology. The significance of the extra-oral digestion in the life strategy of these mites and their larval parasitism is also evaluated. The morphological pre-adaptations of this mode of feeding as well as its probable evolutionary consequences are demonstrated by an example of trombiculid mites (Trombiculidae). It is shown, in particular, that parasitism in general may be considered as a particular life scenario implying that the feeding preferences of the organism are evolutionary formed in a close association with other organisms, which provide a parasite with a feeding substrate mainly already prepared for utilization. Based on this assumption, all Parasitengona, including both larval and post-larval instars, irrespectively of the size of their potential victim, preferably should not be considered as parasites, but as micro-predators. |
