SOIL MITES AS BIOCONTROL AGENTS AGAINST LAND SNAIL, Monacha cartusiana (MULLER) INHABITING SOIL AT SHARKIA GOVERNORATE

Mites inhabiting soil heavy infested with the land snail , Monacha cartusiana (Muller) in Abou-Kabeer district, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt were surveyed during two successive years (9Nov. to June: 2009 – 10 2010-11). The collected mites were 18 species belonging to 16 genera, 16 families and 3 sub order of the sub-class Acari. Of the collected mites, Uroobovella (Fascuropoda) marginata (Koch) (Uropodidae: Gamasida) inhabits the snail leading to the snail death within about 2 weeks also, the mite Galumna flabillifera Hammer (Galumnidae: Oribatida) penetrate the eggs of the same snail leading to a secondary infection with some pathogenic fungi which rapidly developed and finally leads to the death of those eggs.