Phylogenetic relationships within the suborder Dermanyssina (Acari: Parasitiformes) and a test of dermanyssoid monophyly

Abstract

ABSTRACT Dermanyssina is a speciose and ecologically diverse cohort of mesostigmatid mites. Primitive dermanyssoid mites are free-living predators in soil and litter, but the more diverse members of the group form facultative and obligate parasitic associations with a variety of vertebrate and arthropod taxa. This study uses molecular sequence data from the 18S and 28S gene regions of the nuclear ribosomal DNA array in an attempt to test dermanyssoid monophyly and establish phylogenetic relationships between Dermanyssoidea and the other dermanyssine superfamilies. Results from the phylogenetic analyses suggest that the families Spinturnicidae and Spelaeorhynchidae are both more closely related to Eviphidoidea than to other dermanyssoid mites and that Dermanyssoidea as currently defined is paraphyletic. The analyses also indicate that Eviphidoidea is sister to Dermanyssoidea and should be used as an outgroup for future phylogenetic studies of Dermanyssoidea.