Supernumerary presence of the oribatid mite Archegozetes sp. Grandjean, 1931 in stomach contents of the túngara frog Engystomops pustulosus (Cope, 1864) encourages validation of interaction pathways: phoretic, parasitic, or prey?

Abstract

ABSTRACT The trhypochthoniid mite Archegozetes sp. was identified at high abundances (N = 126 and 46) in the stomach contents of the túngara frog Engystomops pustulosus. This is the second report of the genus Archegozetes for Colombia. This species has been reported in Central and South America attached to the skin of some anurans, and these observations were assumed as either phoretic or parasitic interactions between both groups. However, based on our data and the fact that Archegozetes forms large aggregations, we hypothesize that 1) E. pustulosus exploits this ecological behaviour through a predator-prey interaction, and that 2) external presence previously reported in the frogs may have been accidental while the frog fed on these large groups of oribatid mites.