A novel form of feeding in a new genus of mite

Low-temperature scanning electron microscopy revealed that a newly discovered genus of mite (Sarcoptiformes: Nematalycidae) has a novel and very unusual feeding apparatus. Its unique morphology appears to be specialized for extracting fluids from very small microorganisms (<4.5 µm) in an efficient way. This is an appropriate adaptation for the biotically impoverished habitat of mineral soil in which it lives. This adaptation is remarkable given that it has arisen within an exclusively asexual family of mites.