Dr. Korrawat Attasopa from the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, and a team have published their research on the discovery of a new species of mite based on DNA, morphological, and phylogenetic evidence. It is named Dinogamasus saengdaoae Attasopa & Ferrari, 2021 as a tribute to Miss Saengdao B?nziger, a staff member at the Faculty of Agriculture who supported the research team. The evolution of this genus is strictly associated with Asian carpenter bees. It inhabits the bee’s chitinous pouch in a form of mutualism and is shown to feed on pathogenic fungi. Therefore, it is possible to apply the findings to bee farming and conservation in the future.
This discovery, made at the agricultural plot on the CMU campus, shows that the natural spaces here are rich in biodiversity and worthy of conservation and can serve as important learning sites.
Other members of the team were Dr. Rafael R. Ferrari (Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Panuwan Chantawannakul (Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, CMU), and Dr. Hans B?nziger (Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, CMU). This research was funded by the Innovative Agriculture Research Centre, Faculty of Agriculture, CMU.