# Blattisociidae
**Blattisociidae** is a family of predatory mites in the order [Mesostigmata](https://www.edgepedia.org/mesostigmata), placed in the superfamily Phytoseioidea and named by Garman in 1948[1](https://itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?anchorLocation=SubordinateTaxa&credibilitySort=Subordinate+Taxa&print_version=SCR&rankName=ALL&search_topic=TSN&search_value=1117956&source=from_print) • [2](https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/mites/Invasive_Mite_Identification/key/Mesostigmata/Media/Html/Blattisocius.htm). Until recently, blattisociid mites were treated as part of a single broad family, Ascidae sensu lato, together with what are now the families Ascidae sensu stricto and Melicharidae; the split was made mainly on the morphology of the spermathecal apparatus, the internal structure females use to store sperm[3](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27395107/). A 2018 catalog recognized 367 valid species in 14 genera[4](https://openalex.org/W2401158453).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Taxonomic position | Family Blattisociidae Garman, 1948; cohort Gamasina, superfamily Phytoseioidea[1](https://itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?anchorLocation=SubordinateTaxa&credibilitySort=Subordinate+Taxa&print_version=SCR&rankName=ALL&search_topic=TSN&search_value=1117956&source=from_print) • [2](https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/mites/Invasive_Mite_Identification/key/Mesostigmata/Media/Html/Blattisocius.htm) |
| Former classification | Until recently grouped with Ascidae s.s. and Melicharidae in Ascidae sensu lato; separated mainly by spermathecal morphology[3](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27395107/) |
| Species diversity | 367 species in 14 genera considered valid in the 2018 world catalog[4](https://openalex.org/W2401158453) |
| Habitats | Soil, insect cultures, stored food, plants, and fungi; together with most Phytoseiidae and some Ameroseiidae, blattisociids are the mesostigmatid mites commonly found on plants[2](https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/mites/Invasive_Mite_Identification/key/Mesostigmata/Media/Html/Blattisocius.htm) • [3](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27395107/) |
| Feeding | Mostly predators of small arthropods, especially mites and insect eggs; some species also consume pollen, plant exudates, and fungi[5](https://www.scielo.br/j/zool/a/nRqd3F475VYbK5HKyBYMVvw/?lang=en) |
| Biological control | *Blattisocius tarsalis* preys on eggs of stored-product pests and is studied as a biological control agent in grain warehouses[6](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10340-026-02102-5) |
| Databases | NCBI Taxonomy ID 1251892; ITIS serial number 1117956[7](https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/taxonomy/Blattisociidae) |
## Classification history
The family's modern limits come from a revision by Evert E. Lindquist, an acarologist at [Agriculture](https://www.edgepedia.org/agriculture) and Agri-Food Canada, and colleagues. Blattisociinae was previously treated as a tribe of the family Ascidae by Lindquist and Evans in 1965, and was raised to one of two subfamilies of Blattisociidae within Phytoseioidea in the third edition of *A Manual of Acarology* (2009)[8](https://mapress.com/zootaxa/2010/f/z02479p021f.pdf). The two subfamilies are Blattisociinae and Platyseiinae[9](https://www.biotaxa.org/Zoosymposia/article/view/zoosymposia.4.1.18).
Molecular work has tested this arrangement. A phylogenetic analysis using partial 18S and 28S nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences supported the paraphyly of Ascidae sensu lato, but did not support the recently erected superfamilies; it suggested that Blattisociidae and [Phytoseiidae](https://www.edgepedia.org/phytoseiidae) together form a monophyletic group, and that Rhodacaridae is paraphyletic[10](https://www.biotaxa.org/saa/article/view/saa.20.3.1).
## Diagnostic characters
The revised family diagnosis by Lindquist and Maria L. Moraza, a zoologist at the University of Navarra, keys on shield and setal patterns of the idiosoma (the main body) and on mouthpart structures. In the type genus *Blattisocius* Keegan, the dorsal shield lacks midlateral incisions and carries 15 pairs of setae in the opisthonotal region; the humeral seta (r3) usually lies on soft cuticle beside the shield; the sternal shield bears three pairs of setae, with seta st4 in soft cuticle; the ventrianal shield is subtriangular to bullet-shaped and usually carries 2 to 7 pairs of ventral setae in addition to the circum-anal setae; the fixed chela has few or no teeth; the corniculi are slender and narrowly separated; the palp apotele (the terminal claw of the pedipalp) is 2-tined; and the spermatheca is of the phytoseioid type, usually with a conspicuous, well-sclerotized calyx[2](https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/mites/Invasive_Mite_Identification/key/Mesostigmata/Media/Html/Blattisocius.htm).
Similar families are separated by combinations of these characters: Lasioseius species have serrate fixed digits and mostly tricarinate dorsal shield setae; Ologamasidae have sternal shields with four pairs of setae; [Laelapidae](https://www.edgepedia.org/laelapidae) usually have an anal shield and a highly modified genital or opisthogenital shield; Ameroseiidae lack seta J5; most Phytoseiidae have 21 or fewer pairs of dorsal shield setae; Podocinidae have long, whip-like first legs; [Macrochelidae](https://www.edgepedia.org/macrochelidae) usually have recurved peritremes; and Halolaelapidae have a 3-tined palp apotele[2](https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/mites/Invasive_Mite_Identification/key/Mesostigmata/Media/Html/Blattisocius.htm).
## Ecology and habitats
Blattisociids are associated with plants, fungi, soil, and other animals, both invertebrate and vertebrate[5](https://www.scielo.br/j/zool/a/nRqd3F475VYbK5HKyBYMVvw/?lang=en). Roughly a dozen *Blattisocius* species have been described; they occur widely as predators in soil, in insect cultures, in stored food, and on plants, and one of them, *B. patagiorum* Treat, lives as a parasite on adult noctuid moths.[2](https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/mites/Invasive_Mite_Identification/key/Mesostigmata/Media/Html/Blattisocius.htm) Although primarily predators of small arthropods, some species consume pollen, plant exudates, and fungi as part of their diets or as alternative food when prey is absent[5](https://www.scielo.br/j/zool/a/nRqd3F475VYbK5HKyBYMVvw/?lang=en).
Fungus-inhabiting forms show notable diversity. In a roughly 1,600-hectare lowland rainforest site in Heredia Province, Costa Rica, nearly 60 species of the genus *Lasioseius* were distinguished in the subfamily Blattisociinae alone, many of them undescribed, along with species of *Aceodromus*, *Hoploseius*, and a stilt-legged undescribed genus. The long-legged genus *Opilioseius*, described in 2010, lives on the lower surface of its fungal hosts and produces an unusually large egg relative to the size of the maternal female[8](https://mapress.com/zootaxa/2010/f/z02479p021f.pdf).
## Biological control
*Blattisocius tarsalis* (Berlese) is the best-studied blattisociid in applied work. It is commonly found in storage warehouses and preys on the eggs of several stored-product pests, including pyralid moths such as *Ephestia kuehniella* and *Plodia interpunctella* and the cigarette beetle *Lasioderma serricorne*[6](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10340-026-02102-5). When multiple prey species were present, research showed that the mites' preference for pests tied to grain mostly persisted inside a working grain storage facility, possibly because sparse predator numbers and a highly varied habitat supported effective hunting; by contrast, dense and uniform settings, along with warmer conditions and reduced humidity, might hinder such selective feeding[6](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10340-026-02102-5). *B. tarsalis* has also shown robust dispersal in controlled grain environments and an effective capacity to prey on eggs of common storage pests, supporting its potential as a sustainable biological control agent in stored-product pest management[11](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022474X25003431). Its relative *Blattisocius keegani* Fox is often found with *B. tarsalis* in the same facilities and preys on stored-product mites and moth eggs[12](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11765856/).
Other members of the family have been evaluated against crop pests. *Lasioseius chaudhrii* (Wu & Wang) and *Lasioseius parberlesei* Bhattacharyya have been considered potentially effective biological control agents of pest mites of the family Tarsonemidae on rice (*Oryza sativa* L.) in Asia[13](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26249936/). *Blattisocius* species have also been studied for control of the potato tuber moth *[Tecia solanivora](https://www.edgepedia.org/tecia-solanivora)* under storage conditions; although these species are not commercially available, the genus is cosmopolitan and its species often appear in stored plant products and laboratory cultures, making them relatively easy to find[14](https://www.mdpi.com/1694340).
## Regional diversity
A review of the family in China provided a checklist of 56 species in three genera and two subfamilies, covering mainland China and Taiwan[9](https://www.biotaxa.org/Zoosymposia/article/view/zoosymposia.4.1.18). In Taiwan, 18 blattisociid species in three genera were recorded alongside 13 species in two genera of Ascidae sensu stricto[15](https://entsocjournal.yabee.com.tw/AlldataPos/JournalPos/Vol40/No2/TESFE.202005_40%282%29.002.pdf). The family's taxonomy is scattered over hundreds of publications, which is why dedicated catalogs and databases for Ascidae, Blattisociidae, and Melicharidae have been compiled[16](https://scholar.uoc.ac.in/bitstreams/d7ede4eb-5f75-425a-9082-24a31dc7e98a/download).
## References
1. [ITIS Report: Blattisociidae](https://itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?anchorLocation=SubordinateTaxa&credibilitySort=Subordinate+Taxa&print_version=SCR&rankName=ALL&search_topic=TSN&search_value=1117956&source=from_print)
2. [Blattisocius, Invasive Mite Identification key, Lucidcentral](https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/mites/Invasive_Mite_Identification/key/Mesostigmata/Media/Html/Blattisocius.htm)
3. [Catalogue of the mite families Ascidae, Blattisociidae and Melicharidae (Acari: Mesostigmata), PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27395107/)
4. [Catalogue of the mite families Ascidae, Blattisociidae and Melicharidae, OpenAlex record](https://openalex.org/W2401158453)
5. [Taxonomic Catalog of the Brazilian Fauna: The Brazilian acarofauna, Zoologia (SciELO)](https://www.scielo.br/j/zool/a/nRqd3F475VYbK5HKyBYMVvw/?lang=en)
6. [Predation choice of Blattisocius tarsalis in multi-pest environments, Journal of Pest Science](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10340-026-02102-5)
7. [Blattisociidae Taxonomy, PubChem](https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/taxonomy/Blattisociidae)
8. [Lindquist & Moraza (2010). Revised diagnosis of the family Blattisociidae, Zootaxa 2479: 1-21](https://mapress.com/zootaxa/2010/f/z02479p021f.pdf)
9. [Zhang & Fan (2010). Blattisociidae of China: a review, with a checklist, Zoosymposia 4](https://www.biotaxa.org/Zoosymposia/article/view/zoosymposia.4.1.18)
10. [Phylogenetic analysis of Ascidae sensu lato and related groups based on nuclear ribosomal DNA, Systematic and Applied Acarology 20(3)](https://www.biotaxa.org/saa/article/view/saa.20.3.1)
11. [Spatial and seasonal performance of Blattisocius tarsalis in stored grain environments, ScienceDirect](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022474X25003431)
12. [The Utilization of Inert Materials for the Control of Stored-Product Mites, PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11765856/)
13. [The Lasioseius phytoseioides species group (Acari: Blattisociidae), Zootaxa 3980, PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26249936/)
14. [Evaluation of the Egg Predator Blattisocius tarsalis for the Biological Control of Tecia solanivora, MDPI](https://www.mdpi.com/1694340)
15. [Taiwan fauna: Ascidae s.s. and Blattisociidae species counts, Formosan Entomologist 40(2)](https://entsocjournal.yabee.com.tw/AlldataPos/JournalPos/Vol40/No2/TESFE.202005_40%282%29.002.pdf)
16. [Studies on predatory mites, thesis](https://scholar.uoc.ac.in/bitstreams/d7ede4eb-5f75-425a-9082-24a31dc7e98a/download)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Animals › Invertebrates › Arthropods › Arachnids › Mites and ticks › Mite and tick taxonomy › Mesostigmata taxa › Ascidae, Blattisociidae, and related lineages*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license