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Diversity
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Host-Parasitic Mite Interactions and Co-evolution
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Host-Parasitic Mite Interactions and Co-evolution

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Phylogeny and Evolution".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2024) | Viewed by 7802

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Monika Fajfer

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Guest Editor
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Institute of Biological Sciences, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, Wóycickiego 1/3, 01-938 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: acarology; parasitology; herpetology; ecology; evolution; biodiversity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Maciej Skoracki

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Morphology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
Interests: zoology; acarology; parasites of birds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Diversity journal is planning to launch a Special Issue dedicated to studies on host-parasite interactions and co-evolution between mites and their hosts.

Although acarologists have studied host–parasitic interaction quite intensively over the years, our knowledge of parasitic mites and their relationships with hosts is still far from complete. There remain considerable gaps that need to be addressed by future research, such as parasite diversity (e.g., parasite variation in distinct hosts, different morphological adaptation of mites on hosts), host-parasite interaction  (e.g., host specificity, parasite effects on host fitness) or tripartite interactions between hosts, pathogens, and microbiota (e.g., the effect of endosymbionts on mite biology, transmission of pathogens that cause host diseases).

This  Special Issue welcomes researchers investigating any of these aspects. We invite both original research and review papers that address the current research problems, as well as indicate research trends for the future. Particular attention shall be given to (i) experimental studies on the interactions between hosts and parasites, (ii) analyses of mite community structures and their plasticity in wide-ranging hosts, (iii) co-evolution between mites and hosts, and (iv) comprehensive reviews on the epidemiological and ecological impact of parasitic mites on hosts.

Dr. Monika Fajfer
Dr. Maciej Skoracki
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • host-parasite interaction, co-evolution
  • parasitism
  • taxonomy
  • mites
  • hosts
  • phylogeny
  • biodiversity

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1965 KiB  
Article
Feeding Behaviour of the Mite Blattisocius mali on Eggs of the Fruit Flies Drosophila melanogaster and D. hydei
by Katarzyna Michalska, Agnieszka Mrowińska, Marcin Studnicki and Manoj Kumar Jena
Diversity 2023, 15(5), 652; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15050652 - 11 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3015
Abstract
Many predatory mites use insects for dispersal; however, their possible negative effects on insect hosts during transportation and on insect offspring while preying in the hosts’ habitats are still poorly understood. A recent study has revealed that the predatory mite Blattisocius mali can [...] Read more.
Many predatory mites use insects for dispersal; however, their possible negative effects on insect hosts during transportation and on insect offspring while preying in the hosts’ habitats are still poorly understood. A recent study has revealed that the predatory mite Blattisocius mali can not only spread by means of drosophilid fruit flies but also feed on their bodies during dispersal. The aim of this study was to examine the capability of B. mali to prey upon the eggs of their fruit fly hosts and determine the effect of the egg’s age on the voracity of this predator. Drosophila melanogaster oviposited on agar media for 1 h and D. hydei for 8 or 16 h. During 10-h experiments with fifteen fly eggs per cage, a single female predator totally consumed on average 3.62 ± 0.673 “1-h” D. melanogaster eggs and 3.00 ± 0.612 “8-h” eggs of D. hydei, while it partially consumed 2.75 ± 0.586 and 3.00 ± 0.612 eggs of each fly species. In the experiments involving D. hydei, the predator totally destroyed a similar number of “8-h” and “16-h” eggs, but it partially consumed significantly more younger eggs than older eggs. Ethological observations showed that mites returned to some partially fed eggs, usually from the side where the first puncture was made, and only then did they consume them whole. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Host-Parasitic Mite Interactions and Co-evolution)
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12 pages, 3414 KiB  
Article
Forest Matters Most for Hirsutiella zachvatkini (Schluger, 1948): A Survey of Rodent Infestation in Four Localities within the Mazury Lake District, NE Poland
by Hanna Moniuszko, Dagmara Wężyk, Mariusz Chrabąszcz, Mustafa Alsarraf, Maciej Grzybek, Joanna Nowicka, Martyna Krupińska, Aleksander Goll, Wiktoria Romanek, Wiktoria Małaszewicz, Elżbieta Scholz, Jerzy M. Behnke and Anna Bajer
Diversity 2023, 15(3), 379; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15030379 - 6 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1536
Abstract
The family Trombiculidae encompasses numerous and widespread mites, the larvae of which are obligatory parasites of vertebrates. Our research objective was to assess how trombiculid burdens on rodents inhabiting three forested and one open area in NE Poland vary in relation to host [...] Read more.
The family Trombiculidae encompasses numerous and widespread mites, the larvae of which are obligatory parasites of vertebrates. Our research objective was to assess how trombiculid burdens on rodents inhabiting three forested and one open area in NE Poland vary in relation to host identity, sex and body size, and how they are influenced by qualities of the habitat. Trapped rodents (n = 240) were measured, weighted and screened for ectoparasites. Apodemus flavicollis (n = 42) and Myodes glareolus (n = 173) harbored a total of 4652 Hirsutiella zachchvatkini larvae. Statistical tests revealed that both prevalence and abundance were significantly higher in voles (93%, 27 larvae/ind.) than in mice (14%, 0.24 larvae/ind.) but there was no effect of host sex. Among the localities, H. zachvatkini was most prevalent (98%) and abundant (41 larvae/ind.) in rodents from the deciduous mixed forest in Tałty compared to fallow land (2.6%, 0.13 larvae/ind.). The highest prevalence and abundance were found in bank voles; in this host species in Tałty, prevalence reached 100% and the mean abundance was >42 larvae/ind. Significant positive correlations were found between the body mass and body length of voles and the number of attached larvae. Our results confirm the sylvan nature of H. zachvatkini and its preference for bank voles inhabiting deciduous forests with rich and humid undergrowth. The lack of a sex bias and the moderate correlation between mite burden and host size are in line with observations already made on other rodent-associated Trombiculidae. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Host-Parasitic Mite Interactions and Co-evolution)
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41 pages, 14846 KiB  
Article
New Morphological and Molecular Data Reveal an Underestimation of Species Diversity of Mites of the Genus Geckobia (Acariformes: Pterygosomatidae) in India
by Monika Fajfer and Praveen Karanth
Diversity 2022, 14(12), 1064; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14121064 - 2 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2537
Abstract
Mites of the genus Geckobia (Acariformes: Pterygosomatidae) are permanent and highly specialised ectoparasites of geckos (Gekkota). We conducted a local study on Geckobia mites associated with the geckos of the family Gekkonidae found mainly in the territory of the Indian Institute of Science’s [...] Read more.
Mites of the genus Geckobia (Acariformes: Pterygosomatidae) are permanent and highly specialised ectoparasites of geckos (Gekkota). We conducted a local study on Geckobia mites associated with the geckos of the family Gekkonidae found mainly in the territory of the Indian Institute of Science’s campus (Bangalore, India). In total, we examined 208 lizards belonging to two genera: Hemidactylus and Cnemaspis. We assessed the prevalence of the mites and identified the preferred site for their infestation. We extended the standard morphological identification of the mite species by using DNA barcode markers, partial sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and nuclear ribosomal gene sequences: 18S rRNA and hypervariable region D2 of nuclear 28S rRNA. We checked the suitability of COI and nuclear (D2 of 28S rRNA) markers for species delimitations and identification purposes of the genus. The distance- and phylogeny-based approaches were applied: (i) to test the presence of a barcoding gap, we used the automated barcoding gap discovery tool (ABGD) and investigated intra- and interspecific genetic distances, and (ii) to reconstruct evolutionary relationships within the species, we performed maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference with Markov-Chain Monte Carlo (BI) analyses. As a result, we described five new species—Geckobia gigantea sp. n., G. treutleri sp. n., G. unica sp. n. and G. brevicephala sp. n.—from four Hemidactylus species: H. giganteus, H. treutleri, H. parvimaculatus and H. frenatus, respectively, and G. mysoriensis sp. n. from Cnemaspis mysoriensis. Additionally, we found three already described species: Geckobia indica Hirst, 1917 on H. treutleri (new host), Geckobia bataviensis Vitzhum, 1926 on H. parvimaculatus (new host) and H. frenatus (new locality) and Geckobia phillipinensis Lawrence, 1953 on H. frenatus (new locality). The diagnoses of G. indica and G. phillipinensis were improved and supplemented by descriptions of the males and juveniles. Both topologies of the BI and ML phylogenetic trees, as well as genetic distances, supported the species boundaries in the mite population shown by the morphological data. Hemidactylus frenatus was the most infected gecko species (61% prevalence), with the highest number of mite species (three spp.). The scale-mite richness was higher than expected; therefore, further research is required to evaluate the true diversity of Geckobia mites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Host-Parasitic Mite Interactions and Co-evolution)
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