title: A Checklist of Chigger Mites (Acari: Trombiculidae and Leeuwenhökiidae) From Taiwan, With Descriptions of Three New Species.
abstract: Scrub typhus is a lethal human disease transmitted by larval trombiculid mites (i.e., chiggers) that have been infected with the rickettsia Orientia tsutsugamushi. In total, 21 chigger species are known from Taiwan. We update the checklist of chiggers of Taiwan based on an intensive survey of shrew and rodent hosts in grasslands and agricultural fields in lowland Taiwan, coupled with surveys of forests in one mountainous site and an opportunistic examination of submitted host specimens. Three new species of chiggers, Gahrliepia (Gateria) lieni sp. n., Gahrliepia (Gateria) minuta sp. n., and Gahrliepia (Gateria) yilanensis sp. n., as well as 23 newly recorded chigger species, were discovered. Accordingly, recorded chigger species of Taiwan more than doubled from 21 to 47 species. Two new species and nine newly recorded chigger species were discovered in forests in one mountainous site in northeastern Taiwan, suggesting that many more chigger species may be uncovered, particularly in mountainous Taiwan. Further studies should also investigate O. tsutsugamushi infection in different chigger species to assess its risks to human health.
authors.affiliation: Center for Research, Diagnostics and Vaccine Development, Centers for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei 11561, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Lo-Hsuan
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Jer
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 11677, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chi-Chien
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.affiliation: Center for Research, Diagnostics and Vaccine Development, Centers for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei 11561, Taiwan. sjwang@cdc.gov.tw.
authors.forename: Hsi-Chieh
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D057189:Checklist; D005260:Female; D007814:Larva / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008297:Male; D013624:Taiwan; D014324:Trombiculidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification*
keywords: Gahrliepia; Gateria; checklist; taxonomy; trombiculid