New Zealand Entomologist (2008) 31(1): 17–22
©New Zealand Entomological Society, Inc.

Research article
The House Dust Mite and Storage Mite fauna of New Zealand dwellings

Adrian J Pike ^*1 and Kristin Wickens <sup>2

1</sup> BRANZ Limited, Private Bag 50 908, Porirua City 5240. E-mail: adrianpike@branz.co.nz
² Wellington Asthma Research Group, Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2Wellington Asthma Research Group, Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences
^*Corresponding author.

Abstract: The mite fauna present in houses in New Zealand has never been systematically collected and recorded. Many species such as the house dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Trouessart) and the stored product mite Glycyphagus domesticus (deGeer) are known to produce allergens that trigger asthma and allergies in a significant proportion of the population. A literature search to determine the species of mites previously recorded in house dust in New Zealand located records in a wide range of disparate sources making previous work hard to access. During the course of recent house dust surveys two species of astigmatid mites, Lepidoglyphus destructor (Schrank) (Glycyphagidae) and Blomia thori (Zachvatkin) (Echimyopdidae) were found. There are no previous records of these species from New Zealand house dust. This paper collates the published records of mite species that have been found in house dust in New Zealand, adds some unpublished data, and suggests further studies to gain a better understanding of the distribution of these medically important mites.

Keywords: Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus; Lepidoglyphus destructor; Blomia thori; asthma; allergy; dust mite; New Zealand