Abstract
BackgroundThe aquatic Acari are known as water mites and occupy a wide range of habitats. The freshwater mites, Unionicola aegyptiaca, were collected from the freshwater mussel, Caelatura aegyptiaca, River Nile, Sohag, Egypt. The present paper focuses on the structure of the cuticle and musculature of freshwater mite, U. aegyptiaca.ResultsHistologically, the cuticle consists of two main layers: epicuticle and procuticle. The latter divided into two sublayers, exocuticle (exo) and endocuticle (en). The musculature of the present species, U. aegyptiaca, is divided into three regions: gnathosoma, idiosoma, and legs. The muscles of the body are classified according to their position and function.ConclusionDetails of muscles of gnathosoma, coxal epimerae, genital field, and legs were all described and discussed. The cuticle and musculature of U. aegyptiaca were studied by using the light microscope, and the drawings were down with the help of a camera Lucida. It is likely to note that the cuticle and musculature of freshwater mite, U. aegyptiaca, were described and discussed for the first time in Egypt.
Highlights
The aquatic Acari are known as water mites and occupy a wide range of habitats
The cuticle of the present species consists of two main layers: epicuticle and procuticle
The examination of the histological sections through the cuticle revealed that the thickness and number of cuticular layers vary according to the body region of the present species (Pl. 1a–g)
Summary
The aquatic Acari are known as water mites and occupy a wide range of habitats. The freshwater mites, Unionicola aegyptiaca, were collected from the freshwater mussel, Caelatura aegyptiaca, River Nile, Sohag, Egypt. The cuticle of mites has to be sufficiently permeable to allow gas exchange but impermeable enough to prevent water loss (Haldane, 1927 cited in Colloff, 2009). It varies in thickness, hardness, composition, and elasticity regarding different parts of the body and different species, in order to provide both mechanical protection and sufficient flexibility for locomotion (Haldane, 1927 cited in Colloff, 2009). The musculature of Acari is striated, and a complex skeletal musculature is involved regarding the movements of the various appendages Both external and internal types of muscles are found in mites (Dhooria, 2016). Treat (1965) and Chetverikov (2014) studied the genital musculature of the female mites, Dicrocheles phalaenodectes, Loboquintus subsquamatus, and Trisetacus cf bagdasariani
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