A new mite superfamily Cloacaroidea and its position within the Prostigmata (Acariformes).
The external morphology of 2 closely related mite families, Cloacaridae and Epimyodicidae (Acari: Prostigmata), comprising highly specialized endoparasites of vertebrates, is analyzed. These mites exhibit strong regression of many structures ancestrally present in other Prostigmata as a consequence of their endoparasitic mode of life. The relationships of these 2 families with other taxa in the infraorder Eleutherengona are still not clear. Our reinterpretation of the chelicerae as unfused precludes inclusion of this lineage in the Cheyletoidea as proposed previously. A new superfamily, Cloacaroidea superfam, nov., incertae sedis, within the infraorder Eleutherengona is established for these 2 families, and their host-parasite relationships are briefly discussed. A new cloacarid species, Caminacarus dawsoni n. sp., from Graptemys pseudogeographica (Testudines: Emydidae) from the United States is also described.
Bochkov
Andre V
AV
Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya emb., St. Petersburg 199034, Russia. prostigmata@zin.ru
O'Connor
Barry M
BM
D000818:Animals; D003411:Arvicolinae; D007312:Eulipotyphla; D005260:Female; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D008297:Male; D008924:Mite Infestations / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary; D008925:Mites / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology; D020305:Strigiformes; D014426:Turtles