Pre-ovipositional and ovipositional behaviour of Holaspulus tenuipes (Berlese) (Parasitiformes: Mesostigmata: Parholaspididae) with notes on egg chorion, incubation, and hatching

Egg deposition in the soil mite Holaspulus tenuipes (Berlese, 1904) was observed with the use of continuous video-monitoring. The process was found to consist of four distinct phases. In Phase 1, the species performed pre-ovipositional activity prior to the egg being extruded from the genital opening. Phase 1 lasted approximately 7.5 min. Phase 2 involved egg extrusion followed with holding of the egg beneath the gnathosoma and lasted approximately 6.5 min. Egg deposition that occurs in Phase 3 lasted 10 sec. on average. Phase 4 involves covering the egg with substrate particles, the longest part of oviposition which lasted approximately 18 min. The egg possesses lamellar exochorion and two processes, one on each of the egg apexes. The average time of egg incubation was 3 days and 21 h. The hatching lasted 1 min. 43 sec. on average, the egg splitting was longitudinal and larva moved backward during hatch.