Abstract
Deutonymphs of the astigmatan mite Neottialges (Caloenectes) vulturis (Dubinin, 1956) comb. n. (Astigmata: Hypoderatidae) were found during the anatomo-histopathological study of a Eurasian griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus, found dead in Central Italy. After skinning, numerous cystic formations were visible in the subcutaneous tissue of the vulture, each containing a parasitic mite. Microscopically, subcutaneous tissue showed large areas of severe granulomatous inflammation. To our knowledge, this is the first record of this poorly known hypoderatid mite in Europe, about five thousand kilometers west from the type locality in Kirghizstan. The deutonymphal stage of N. (C.) vulturis is redescribed following modern standards of taxonomic description for astigmatan mites. This mite, previously unassigned to a subgenus, is now placed in the subgenus Caloenectes Fain, 1966.
Highlights
Mites of the family Hypoderatidae are mainly associated with birds and rarely occur in rodents
At the deutonymphal stage, these mites are subcutaneous or visceral tissue parasites, whereas the other life stages are commensals inhabiting the nests of corresponding vertebrate hosts (Fain 1967; Fain and Bafort 1967; OConnor 1982 and 1985; Wurst and Havelka 1997; Krantz and Walter 2009)
An unusual way of feeding by hypopi in the host tissues using a modified genital papillae was recently revealed by Alberti and co-authors (2016) with an example in Neottialges evansi Fain, 1966 parasitizing cormorants
Summary
Mites of the family Hypoderatidae are mainly associated with birds and rarely occur in rodents. An unusual way of feeding by hypopi in the host tissues using a modified genital papillae was recently revealed by Alberti and co-authors (2016) with an example in Neottialges evansi Fain, 1966 parasitizing cormorants This family currently includes over 80 species in 21 genera. We provide a modern redescription of the congested deutonymph of this species and describe pathological changes provoked by the presence of numerous mites in the subcutaneous tissues of a Eurasian griffon vulture, G. fulvus, found dead in Central Italy. The Eurasian griffon vulture is a protected species in Italy and inhabits 5 distinct areas from the eastern Alps to the southern Apennines, Sardinia and Sicily These populations mainly originate from reintroduction and restocking efforts, and, due to persistently high human-induced mortality and a low number of breeding individuals, the species is regarded as critically endangered at a national scale (Rondinini et al 2013). Up to 45 nesting pairs are estimated, and resident adults range across ca. 7,000 km (Altea et al 2013)
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