First report of cave springtail (Collembola, Paronellidae) parasitized by mite (Parasitengona, Microtrombidiidae)

Although mites and springtails are important components of cave fauna, until now there was no report about host-parasite associations between these groups in subterranean ecosystem. Here we present the first record of mite parasitism in Trogolaphysa species (Paronellidae), and the first known case o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Subterranean Biology
Main Authors: Oliveira, Marcus Paulo Alves, Bernardi, Leopoldo, Zeppelini, Douglas, Lopes Ferreira, Rodrigo
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: Zenodo 2016
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.17.8451
Description
Summary:Although mites and springtails are important components of cave fauna, until now there was no report about host-parasite associations between these groups in subterranean ecosystem. Here we present the first record of mite parasitism in Trogolaphysa species (Paronellidae), and the first known case of parasitism in the Brazilian cave springtail. The Microtrombidiidae mite was attached on the head of the Collembola by the stylostome. Collembola is not a usual host for Microtrombidiidae mites but it may be related to the lack of reports by researchers or few samplings specific to parasitism studies in these invertebrates. Another possibility relates to the cave environment itself. The oligotrophic condition of these ecosystems could limit the occurrence of the main hosts for these mites and the parasitism in unusual groups, such as Collembola, may have been favored.