New records of phoretic mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) associated with dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Korea and their ecological implication

Phoresy is one of the dispersal mechanisms of wingless microarthropods such as mites attached on the winged host. Mites associated with two scarabaeid beetles, Copris ochus and C. tripartitus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) were collected from the ex-situ conservation site in Heongseong, Gangwon province in Korea. Among them, four species Copriphis hastatellus Berlese, 1910 (Eviphididae); Holostaspella scatophila Takaku, 1994 (Macrochelidae); Macrocheles japonicus Evans and Hyatt, 1963 (Macrochelidae); and Onchodellus siculus Berlese, 1892 (Pachylaelapidae) were recorded for the first time in Korea. Also, Parasitus consanguineus Oudemans and Voigts (Parasitidae) was previously recorded from the specimen in northern part of Korea in 1904, but since then no record has been made for a century. This is the second observation of this species over 100 years in the Korean peninsula. Description of this species is presented for comparison with the original description. Further discussion explored the relationship between the mites and dung beetles, and possible implication for the conservation of the endangered species.