A NEW MITE PLANT-ASSOCIATION - MITES LIVING AMIDST THE ADHESIVE TRAPSOF A CARNIVOROUS PLANT

Non-antagonistic interactions between arthropods and leaves of insecti vorous plants with adhesive traps so far have never been reported. The mites are common prey of such plants, but we have found a new subspec ies of the mite Oribatula tibialis living on the leaves of Pinguicula longifolia. Because of its small size and the low glandular density of the host, the mite moves without being trapped by the mucilaginous dr oplets of the leaf surface. P. longifolia provides shelter and food fo r the mite, while the plant may also benefit because of its fungivorou s and scavenging activities. This new interaction is another dramatic example of widespread mite-plant associations.