Larval aquatic and terrestrial mites infesting a temperate assemblage of mosquitoes

Abstract

We collected 22,769 adult female mosquitoes, representing 27 species, from light traps in Norfolk, Virginia (2006-2007) and examined them to assess infestation by larval mites. Mosquitoes were parasitized by two species of aquatic (Acari: Arrenuridae: Arrenurus) and three species of terrestrial mites (Acari: Erythraeidae). The prevalence of infestation varied from 0.55% (2006) to 0.17% (2007). The mean intensity of parasitism ranged from 3.6 mites per host (2006) to 1.8 mites per host (2007). The most common host species for aquatic mites was Culex erraticus, while the most common host for terrestrial mites was Anopheles quadrimaculatus. Relationships between biotic and abiotic factors were investigated in an attempt to provide insight into temporal, spatial, and interspecific variation in mite-mosquito interactions. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the mode of attachment for larval mites. While the prevalence of aquatic mite parasitism was correlated for Culex erraticus, the invasive mosquito, Aedes albopictus, was never parasitized through the duration of the study.