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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #391943
Research Project: Systematics of Acari and Hemiptera: Plant Pests, Predators, and Disease Vectors

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: First descriptions of cave-dwelling chigger mites (Trombidiformes: Leeuwenhoekiidae) for Brazil with taxonomic remarks on the genus Whartonia Ewing, 1944

Author
item BASSINI-SILVA, R - BUTANTAN INSTITUTE
item ZAMPAULO, R - MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL LICENSING AND SPELEOLOGY, VALE S.A.
item WELBOURN, W - FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES
item Ochoa, Ronald - Ron
item BRESCOVIT, A - BUTANTAN INSTITUTE
item BARROS-BATTESTI, D - FACULDADE DE CIÊNCIAS AGRÁRIAS E VETERINÁRIAS DE JABOTICABAL-UNESP
item JACINAVICIUS, F - BUTANTAN INSTITUTE
item AABRIL RAMIREZ, G - UNIVERSIDAD DE COLOMBIA

Submitted to: Acarologia
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/22/2022
Publication Date: 9/23/2022
Citation: Bassini-Silva, R., Zampaulo, R.A., Welbourn, W.C., Ochoa, R., Brescovit, A.D., Barros-Battesti, D.M., Jacinavicius, F.C., Aabril Ramirez, G. 2022. First descriptions of cave-dwelling chigger mites (Trombidiformes: Leeuwenhoekiidae) for Brazil with taxonomic remarks on the genus Whartonia Ewing, 1944. Acarologia. 56(29-32):1297-1313. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2022.2118087.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2022.2118087

Interpretive Summary: Chiggers are vet/med mite pests that parasitize terrestrial vertebrates. There are more than 300 genera with over 3,700 described species of chiggers in the world. One world wide family of chiggers has five valid genera in Brazil associated with small mammals and birds in the Americas. The examination of material located at the Instituto Butantan and collected from a cave revealed a new species record for Brazil. This information on cave-dwelling chiggers is important for people in vet/med research, quarantine and biologists.

Technical Abstract: The family Leeuwenhoekiidae has a worldwide distribution. In Brazil, it is represented by five genera and ten species parasitizing all groups of terrestrial vertebrates. Examination of material housed in the Acari Collection of the Instituto Butantan, revealed undescribed species belonging to this family. In the present study, we describe a new genus Caramuru n. gen. with the type species Caramuru carnavalesca n. sp. from the state of Minas Gerais and Whartonia parauapebensis n. sp., from state of Pará, both from the soil in Brazilian caves.