Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Evolution of Parasitism and the Distribution of Some Dermanyssoid Mites (Mesostigmata) on Vertebrate Hosts

  • Chapter
Mites

Abstract

Whether the subclass Acari is monophyletic or polyphyletic remains unsettled, but the early (pre-Devonian) separation of the orders Parasitiformes and Acariformes is generally accepted (Krantz 1978, Lindquist 1984, Woolley 1988). The suborder Mesostigmata is one of the largest and most ecologically varied of the Acari, and it is the only suborder of Parasitiformes in which there has been significant adaptive radiation into a broad spectrum of general niches. The Mesostigmata associated with vertebrates have notably diverse host relationships, but nearly all are in one superfamily, the Dermanyssoidea.

Despite the considerable number of species... associated with various other animals, there is however, in a very limited number of cases any precise knowledge of what the mite does. An urgent need is for an increased knowledge of the biology of the commoner species, for without this it is impossible to arrive at even a relatively true appreciation of the relationships of mites to the general problems of animal ecology. T. E. Hughes (1959)

... the gaps in knowledge of the bionomics and basic host-parasite relationships are especially glaring. Following a period of considerable interest in the 1950s and early 1960s, there has been a decline in biological studies of the vertebrate-associated Mesostigmata. This important area of research should be revitalized. F. J. Radovsky (1985)

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Arthur, D. R. 1965. Feeding in ectoparasitic Acari with special reference to ticks. Adv. Parasitol. 3:249–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Audy, J. R., F. J. Radovsky and P. H. Vercammen-Grandjean. 1972. Neosomy: radical intrastadial metamorphosis associated with arthropod symbioses. J. Med. Entomol. 9:487–494.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, R. J., M. J. Novacek and N. B. Simmons. 1991. On the monophyly of bats. Syst. Zool. 40:216–231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bertram, D. S., K. Unsworth and R. M. Gordon. 1946. The biology and maintenance of Liponyssus bacoti Hirst, 1913, and an investigation into its role as vector of Litomosoides carinii to cotton rats and white rats, together with some observations on the infection in the white rats. Ann. Trop. Med. Parasitol. 40:228–254.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bregetova, N. G. 1953. Mites of the genus Bdellonyssus Fonseca, 1941. Tr. Inst. Zool. Akad. Nauk UKRSSR 13:310–319. (In Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bregetova, N. G. 1964. Some Problems of Evolution of the Rhinonyssoid Mites. (Report presented at the 1st Int. Congr. Parasitol.). Leningrad: Nauka. Pp. 1–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bregetova, N. G. 1969. Ontogeny of gamasid mites as a basis of their natural system. Proc. 2nd. Int. Congr. Acarol. (G. O. Evans ed.). Sutton Bpnington, England, 1967. Akadémiai Kaidó, Budapest. Pp. 289–295.

    Google Scholar 

  • Camin, J. H. 1953. Observations on the life history and sensory behavior of the snake mite, Ophionyssus natricis (Gervais) (Acarina: Macronyssidae). Chic. Acad. Sci., Spec. Publ. No. 10. 75pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa, M. 1961. Mites associated with rodents in Israel. Bull. Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Zool. 8:1–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Domrow, R. 1963. New records and species of Austomalayan laelapid mites. Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. 88:199–220.

    Google Scholar 

  • Domrow, R. 1971. A new Australian species of Ornithonyssus Sambon (Acari: Dermanyssidae). J. Aust. Entomol. Soc. 10:109–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Domrow, R. 1980. The genus Raillietia Trouessart in Australia (Acari: Dermanyssidae). Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 104:183–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Domrow, R. 1987 Acari Mesostigmata parasitic on Australian vertebrates: an annotated checklist, keys and bibliography. Invertebr. Taxon. 1:817–948.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dusbàbek, F. 1964. Parasitische Fledermausmilben der Tschechoslowakei. II. Familie Dermanyssidae Kol., 1859 (Acarina: Gamasides). Cesk. Parasitol. 11:77–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberg, J. F. 1981. The Mammalian Radiations. Univ. Chicago Press, Chicago. Pp. 1–610.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elton, C. 1966. Animal Ecology. University of Washington Press, Seattle (First published in 1927). Pp. 1–237.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, G. O. 1968. The external morphology of the post-embryonic developmental stages of Spinturnix myoti Kol. (Acari: Mesostigmata). Acarologia 10:589-608.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, G. O. and W. M. Till. 1966. Studies on the British Dermanyssidae (Acari: Mesostigmata). Part 2. Classification. Bull. Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Zool. 14:109–370.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, G. O. and W. M. Till. 1979. Mesostigmatic mites of Britain and Ireland (Chelicerata: Acari-Parasitiformes). An introduction to their external morphology and classification. Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond. 35:139–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fain, A. and K. Hyland. 1962. The mites parasitic in the lungs of birds. The variability of Sternostoma tracheacolum Lawrence, 1948, in domestic and wild birds. Parasitology 52:401–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fonseca, A. H. and J. L. H. Faccini. 1985. In vitro development of Raillietia auris (Leidy) (Acarina: Mesostigmata). Acarologia 26:211–214.

    Google Scholar 

  • Furman, D. P. 1957. Revision of the genus Sternostoma Berlese and Trouessart (Acarina: Rhinonyssidae). Hilgardia 26:473–495.

    Google Scholar 

  • Furman, D. P. 1959. Feeding habits of symbiotic mesostigmatid mites of mammals in relation to pathogen-vector potential. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 8:5–12.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Furman, D. P. 1979. Specificity, adaptation and parallel evolution in the endoparasitic Mesostigmata of mammals. In: Recent Advances in Acarology, Vol. 2 (J. G. Rodriguez ed.). Academic Press, NY. Pp. 329–337.

    Google Scholar 

  • Furman, D. P., H. Bonasch, R. Springsteen, D. Stiller and D. F. Rahlmann. 1974. Studies on the biology of the lung mite Pneumonyssus simicola Banks (Acarina: Halarachnidae) and diagnosis of infestation in macaques. Lab. Animal Sci. 24:622–629.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Furman, D. P. and F. J. Radovsky. 1963. A new species of Ornithonyssus from the white-tailed antelope squirrel, with a rediagnosis of the genus Ornithonyssus (Acarina: Dermanyssidae). Pan-Pac. Entomol. 39:75–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Furman, D. P. and S. W. Smith. 1973. In vitro development of two species of Orthohalarachne (Acarina: Halarachnidae) and adaptations of the life cycle for endoparasitism in mammals. J. Med. Entomol. 4:415–416.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, L. 1984. And then there were bats. In: Vertebrate Zoogeography and Evolution in Australia (M. Archer and G. Clayton eds.). Hesperian Press, Carlisle (W. Australia). Pp. 837–852.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hand, S. 1984. Bat beginnings and biogeography: a southern perspective. In: Vertebrate Zoogeography and Evolution in Australia (M. Archer and G. Clayton eds.). Hesperian Press, Carlisle (W. Australia). Pp. 853–904.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hellanthal, R. A. and R. D. Price. 1991. Biosystematics of the chewing lice of pocket gophers. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 36:185–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hogsette, J. A., J. F. Butler, W. V. Miller and R. D. Hall. 1991. Annotated bibliography of the northern fowl mite, Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini and Fanzago) (Acari: Macronyssidae). Entomol. Soc. Am. Misc. Publ. 76:1–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, T. E. 1959. Mites or the Acari. Athlone Press, London. Pp. 1–225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hull, W. B. 1956. The nymphal stages of Pneumonyssus simicola Banks, 1901 (Acarina: Halarachnidae). J. Parasitol. 42:653–656.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kethley, J. B. and D. E. Johnston. 1975. Resource tracking patterns in bird and mammal ectoparasites. Misc. Publ. Entomol. Soc. Am. 9:231–236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, K. C. (ed.). 1985. Coevolution of Parasitic Arthropods and Mammals. Wiley, NY. 800 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, K. C., V. L. Haas and M. C. Keyes. 1980. Populations, microhabitat preference, and effects of infestation of two species of Orthohalarachne (Halarachnidae: Acarina) in the northern fur seal. J. Wildl. Dis. 16:45–51.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koopman, K. F. 1984. Bats. In: Orders and Families of Recent Mammals of the World (S. Anderson and J. K. Jones, Jr. eds.). Wiley, NY. Pp. 145–186.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krantz, G. W. 1978. A Manual of Acarology, 2nd edition. Oregon State Univ. Book Stores, Corvallis, OR. 509 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lavoipierre, M. M. J. and A. J. Beck. 1967. Feeding mechanisms of Chiroptonyssus robustipes (Acarina: Macronyssidae) as observed on the transilluminated bat wing. Exp. Parasitol. 20:312–320.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lees, A. D. 1952. The role of cuticle growth in the feeding process of ticks. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 121:759–772.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindquist, E. E. 1984. Current theories on the evolution of major groups of Acari and their relationships with other groups of Arachnida, with consequent implications for their classification. In: Acarology VI, Vol. 1 (D. A. Griffiths and C. E. Bowman eds.). Ellis Horwood Ltd., Chichester. Pp. 28–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Men, Y. T. 1959. Concerning the feeding of the mite Haemolaelaps casalis (Gamasoidea, Parasitiformes). Medskaya Parazitol. 28:603–609. (In Russian).

    Google Scholar 

  • Micherdzinski, W. 1980. Eine Taxonomische Analyse der Familie Macronyssidae Oudemans, 1936. I. Subfamilie Ornithonyssinae Lange, 1958 (Acarina, Mesostigmata). Panstwowe Wydownictwo Nauk., Warsaw. Pp. 1–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moss, W. W. 1978. The mite genus Dermanyssus: a survey, with description of Dermanyssus trochilinus, n. sp., and a revised key to the species (Acari: Mesostigmata: Dermanyssidae). J. Med. Entomol. 14:627–640.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nowak, R. M. 1991. Order Chiroptera. In: Walker’s Mammals of the World, Vol. 1 (5th ed.). Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore. Pp. 190–393.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oudemans, A. C. 1904. Notes on Acari, eleventh series. Tijdschr. Entomol. 46:93–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pence, D. B. and S. D. Castro. 1976. Studies on the variation and morphology of the Ptilonyssus “sairae” complex (Acarina: Rhinonyssidae) from North American passeriform birds. J. Med. Entomol. 13:71–95.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pettigrew, J. D. 1991. Wings or brain? Convergent evolution in the origins of bats. Syst. Zool. 40:199–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pettigrew, J. D., B. G. M. Jamieson, S. K. Robson, L. S. Hall, D. I. McAnally and H. M. Cooper. 1989. Phylogenetic relationships between microbats, megabats and primates (Mammalia: Chiroptera and Primates). Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond., B, Biol. Sci. 325:489–559.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, C. J., J. K. Jones, Jr. and F. J. Radovsky. 1969. Macronyssid mites in the oral mucosa of long-nosed bats: occurrence and associated pathology. Science 165:1368–1369.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Popp, E. 1961. Bau und Funktion des Ambulacrums der Larve von Orthohalarachne laetalis Popp (Acarina: Halarachnidae). Zool. Anz. 167:29–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Potter, D. A. and D. E. Johnston. 1978. Raillietia whartoni sp. n. (Acari-Mesostigmata) from the Uganda Kob. J. Parasitol. 64:139–142.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Radovsky, F. J. 1960a. Haemogamasus liponyssoides hesperus n. ssp. with a discussion of the H. liponyssoides complex (Acarina: Haemogamasidae). J. Parasitol. 46:401–409.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Radovsky, F. J. 1960b. Biological Studies on Haemogamasus liponyssoides Ewing (Acarina: Haemogamasidae). J. Parasitol. 46:410–417.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Radovsky, F. J. 1964. The Macronyssidae and Laelapidae (Acarina: Mesostigmata) parasitic on bats. Ph.D. dissertation, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA. 600 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radovsky, F. J. 1966. Revision of the macronyssid and laelapid mites of bats: outline of classification with description of new genera and new type species. J. Med. Entomol. 3:93–99.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Radovsky, F. J. 1967. The Macronyssidae and Laelapidae (Acarina: Mesostigmata) parasitic on bats. Univ. Calif. Publ. Entomol. 46:1–288.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radovsky, F. J. 1969. Adaptive radiation in the parasitic Mesostigmata. Acarologia 11:450–483.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Radovsky, F. J. 1985. Evolution of mammalian mesostigmate mites. In: Coevolution of Parasitic Arthropods and Mammals (K. C. Kim ed.). Wiley, NY. Pp. 441–504.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radovsky, F. J., J. K. Jones, Jr. and C. J. Phillips. 1971. Three new species of Radfordielia (Acarina: Macronyssidae) parasitic in the mouth of phyllostomid bats. J. Med. Entomol. 8:737–746.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rudnick, A. 1960. A revision of the mites of the family Spinturnicidae (Acarina). Univ. Calif. Publ. Entomol. 17:157–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sikes, R. K. and R. W. Chamberlain. 1954. Laboratory observations on three species of bird mites. J. Parasitol. 40:691–697.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simmons, N. B., M. J. Novacek and R. J. Baker. 1991. Approaches, methods, and the future of the chiropteran monophyly controversy: a reply to J. D. Pettigrew. Syst. Zool. 40:239–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skaliy, P. and W. J. Hayes. 1949. The biology of Liponyssus bacoti (Hirst, 1913) (Acarina: Liponyssidae). Am. J. Trop. Med. 29:759–772.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. D. 1972. Systematics of the chiropteran family Mormoopidae. Misc. Publ. Mus. Nat. Hist., Univ. Kans. 56:1–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. D. and G. Madkour. 1980. Penial morphology and the question of chiropteran monophyly. Proc. 5th Int. Bat Res. Conf. (D. E. Wilson and A. L. Gardner eds.). Texas Tech Press, Lubbock, TX. Pp.347–365.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strandtmann, R. W. 1958. Host specificity of bird nasal mites (Rhinonyssidae) is a function of the gregariousness of the host. Proc. 10th Int. Congr. Entomol. 1:909–911.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strandtmann, R. W. 1961. The immature stages of the Ptilonyssus complex (Acari: Mesostigmata: Rhinonyssidae). Proc. 11th Int. Congr. Entomol. 1:283–286.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strandtmann, R. W. and C. M. Clifford. 1962. A new genus and species of nasal mite from the varied thrush Ixoreus neveus (Gmelin) (Acarina: Rhinonyssidae). J. Parasitol. 48:723–725.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tipton, V. J. 1960. The genus Laelaps with a review of the Laelaptinae and a new subfamily Alphalaelaptinae. Univ. Calif. Publ. Entomol. 16:233–356.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsymbal, T. G. and N. T. Litvishko. 1955. Acariasis of the ear in cattle. Zool. Zh. 34:1229–1241. (In Russian).

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitzthum, H. G. 1940—43. Acarina. In: Klassen und Ordnungen des Tierreichs (H. G. Braun ed.). Leipzig 5(4), Book 5:1–1011.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, G. L., R. L. Smiley and B. C Redington. 1978. A taxonomic study of the genus Haemogamasus in North America, with descriptions of two new species (Acari: Mesostigmata, Laelapidae). Int. J. Acarol. 4:235–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woolley, T. A. 1988. Acarology: Mites and Human Welfare. Wiley, NY. Pp. 1–484.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yunker, C. E. and F. J. Radovsky. 1966. The dermanyssid mites of Panama (Acarina: Dermanyssidae). In: Ectoparasites of Panama (R. L. Wenzel and V. J. Tipton eds.). Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago. Pp. 83–103.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Frank J. Radovsky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409-3131, USA

    Marilyn A. Houck

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Radovsky, F.J. (1994). The Evolution of Parasitism and the Distribution of Some Dermanyssoid Mites (Mesostigmata) on Vertebrate Hosts. In: Houck, M.A. (eds) Mites. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2389-5_8

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2389-5_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-6012-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-2389-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation