Trends in the evolution of eriophyoid mites (Eriophyoidea)

Eriophyoid mites (Acariformes, Eriophyoidea) are an ancient group of hypomorphic miniaturized chelicerates highly adapted to parasitism on vascular plants. Despite the extreme specialization to their hosts and the canalization of their evolution, eriophyoid mites demonstrate a remarkable multicomponent evolutionary plasticity. It is manifested in numerous reversions, parallelisms and modifications associated with colonization of various niches, gallogenesis, host-shifts and adaptations to climate changes. Further evolution of eriophyoids is mainly constrained by their miniaturization. The pattern of plant colonization of plant by eriophyoid mites can be divided into three periods. The ancestors of eriophyoids had evolved in the Paleozoic on the precursors of seed plants. In the Mesozoic eriophyoid mites colonized gymnosperms. Later they colonized angiosperms and diverged greatly following the evolution of monocots and eudicots.