NEW FINDINGS OF CHIGGER MITES (ACARIFORMES: TROMBICULIDAE) IN THE REPUBLIC OF KARELIA AND THE ARKHANGELSK REGION

Abstract

The article provides information on the occurrence of chigger mites (Acariformes, Trombiculidae), obtained as a result of long-term studies of the ectoparasite fauna of small mammals from 1992 to 2018 in Karelia, Murmansk Region (2015), Arkhangelsk Region (2007) and Finland (1999, 2007). A total of 6154 specimens of small mammals of the orders Rodentia (Myodes glareolus, M. rutilus, M. rufocanus, Microtus agrestis, M. oeconomus, Arvicola terrestris, Sicista betulina, Micromys minutus, Apodemus agrarius, A. flavicollis) and Eulipotyphla (Sorex araneus, S. caecutiens, S. isodon, S. minutus, Neomys fodiens) were examined and 878 chiggers were collected. Hirsutiella zachvatkini (Schluger 1948) and Neotrombicula (Digenualea) uliginosa Kudryashova 1998 were found. Their prevalences were 0.84 % and 0.16 %, respectively. H. zachvatkini (parasite associated with the bank vole) was found only in southern Karelia and south-western Arkhangelsk Region. The northernmost record of this species in Karelia comes from the Kizhi Archipelago (Medvezhjegorsky District), where after long-term monitoring and with a large number of host individuals examined, chiggers were found only on Malyi Lelikovsky Island (N61.989°; E35.15°). A high relative abundance of H. zachvatkini was observed in the south-west of Karelia, in the Lahdenpohsky District. The second species, N. uliginosa, was noted only in the north-west of Karelia (Voknavolok, N65.046857°; E30.603793°) on Microtus agrestis, Myodes glareolus and Neomys fodiens. Its prevalence and abundance were 12.3 % and 0.86 spm., respectively. This paper is the first report on the fauna of chiggers on small mammals in Karelia. Further focused studies of this group of arthropods may expand the list of species.

Keywords

• hirsutiella zachvatkini
• neotrombicula uliginosa
• small mammals
• chiggers
• northwest russia