Aquatic Phoretic Mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) Associated with Ectoparasitism of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Midwest Region of Brazil

Sirlei Frank Thies,Diniz Pereira Leite Júnior,Junio De Souza Damasceno,Monaly Da Silva Ribeiro,Elisangela Santana De Oliveira Dantas,Fábio Alexandre Leal Dos Santos,Aldimara Vaillant Gonçalves,Klaucia Rodrigues Vasconcelos

doi:10.4236/ae.2016.43015

Abstract

Water mites (Hydrachnidia) are common external parasites of the medically important mosquitoes (Culicidae). Between April 2014 and April 2015, 64 mites from three genus, Arrenurus 71.9%, Limnochares 3.1%, and Hydrachna 25.0%, were collected from female mosquitoes in two rural locations near Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Dipterous species parasitized by water mites belonging to seven species: Anopheles (Nys.) darling, An. evansae, Aedes (Och.) scapularis, Ae. serratus, Mansonia (Man.) wilsoni, Psorophora (Jan.) ferox, Ps. varipes. The most common specimens to accommodate the water mites were Anopheles (Nys.) darlingi and Psorophora (Jan.) varipes. The prevalence of parasitism of mosquitoes by water mites found in this study was less than 5. However, few studies have addressed the ecological role of mites and their biotopes, as well as host-parasite interactions in Brazil.

Highlights

Like most animals, insects belonging to Dipteran may be parasitized
Water mites are found in various environments that are accessible to animals, with many specimens found in soil, plant shoots, animal hair, feathers, human hair follicles, and insect hosts [5]
According to Smith and Cook [1], water mites are the most abundant and diverse arthropods that exist in moist environments, and they have a life cycle that includes three larval and nymphal stages

Summary

Introduction

Water mites are known to parasitize the larvae and pupae of these insects by piercing the exoskeleton and ingesting the circulating hemolymph [1] [2]. These mosquitoes can transmit numerous pathogens to their hosts, such as protozoa, viruses, bacteria, nematodes, cestodes, and trematodes [3] [4]. Water mites are found in various environments that are accessible to animals, with many specimens found in soil, plant shoots, animal hair, feathers, human hair follicles, and insect hosts [5]. The habitats for water mites are very diverse. According to Smith and Cook [1], water mites are the most abundant and diverse arthropods that exist in moist environments, and they have a life cycle that includes three larval and nymphal stages (ninfocrisalida, deutonymph, and imagocrisalida)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion