Body segments of acariform mites

This animation, which is intended to introduce the concept of body segmentation in mites to a general audience, chiefly concerns the superorder Acariformes, which makes up the vast majority of mite species. The video is a also a prelude to a scientific paper that is being prepared on this subject. The animation was generated using Blender (version 2.82a).

The three different interpretations (models) are sourced from the following publications:

1) Weigmann, G. The body segmentation of oribatid mites from a phylogenetic perspective. in Acarology: Proceedings of the 10th International Congress. (eds. Halliday, R. B., Walter, D. E., Proctor, H. C., Norton, R. A. & Colloff, M. J.) 43–49 (CSIRO, 2001).

2) Grandjean, F. Stases. Actinopiline. Rappel de ma classification des acariens en 3 groupes majeurs. Terminologie en soma. Acarologia 11, 796–827 (1969).

3) Klompen, H., Vázquez, M. M. & Bernardi, L. F. de O. Post-embryonic development in the mite suborder Opilioacarida, with notes on segmental homology in Parasitiformes (Arachnida). Exp. Appl. Acarol. 67, 183–207 (2015). DOI: 10.1007/s10493-015-9939-7