Acarofauna (Arachnida: Acari) associated with phytotelmata of aroids Xanthosoma daguense and X. sagittifolium (Plantae: Araceae).

Phytotelmata provide favorable habitats for invertebrates, such as insects and mites. However, previous acarofauna studies on phytotelmata have primarily focused on tree holes, pitcher plants, and bromeliads, leaving other types, such as the leaf axils of aroids, underexplored. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the composition of the acarofauna in the leaf axils of two Araceae species, Xanthosoma daguense Engl. and Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott, as well as establish the aquatic and subaquatic aroid-mite network. For this, we collected mites from the phytotelmata of both species at two sites in the Colombian Central Mountain range. We found 16 morphospecies of mites belonging to the Gamasina, Uropodina, Sejida, Astigmatina, and other Oribatida groups associated with the phytotelmata of aroids. The most common genera identified were Histiostoma sp. and Hormosianoetus sp. (Histiostomatidae, Astigmatina). We reported for the first time the occurrence of Blattisocius dentriticus (Blattisociidae), Cheiroseius mesae (Blattisociidae), Galumna sp., Lucoppia sp., Malaconothrus sp., Oribotritia sp., and Uropodella sp. in phytotelmata, as well as B. dentriticus, Asca sp., Hormosianoetus sp., Lucoppia sp., Malaconothrus sp., and Phthicarus sp. in Colombia. The network exhibited high specialization and modularity; we identified three aroid-mite groups related to the Araceae species by sites. These results suggested that variations in the environmental conditions in the leaf axil and site scales affect the mite community. Thus, these results extend the understanding of phytotelma as habitats for mites, thereby contributing to the knowledge of their role in conserving these taxonomic groups.