Gamasid mites (Mesostigmata: Gamasina) sampled in uninhabited nests of the common vole Microtus arvalis s. l. (Rodentia: Cricetidae) on the territory of the Dukhovnitsky district of the Saratov region

Abstract

The results of a parasitological study of uninhabited nests of the common vole Microtus arvalis s.l., collected on territory of the Dukhovnitsky district of the Saratov Region in April 2019 are presented. We identifi ed nine species of gamasid mites associated with nests of the common vole. For the fi rst time, Laelaps algericus Hirst., 1925, was recorded for the fauna of the Dukhovnitsky district of the Saratov Region. We found two new to Saratov region genera of free-living mites (without species identifi cation): Laelaspis A. Berlese, 1903 (Laelapidae) and Neoseiulus A. M. Hughes, 1948 (Phytoseiidae). The study has shown that facultative hematophages dominate numerically, and free-living forms predominate in terms of species composition. All hematophagous species found belong to the typical ectoparasites of the common vole, they have wide distribution and are common species for the fauna of the Saratov region.

Keywords

• gamasid mites
• common vole
• microtus arvalis
• nests
• saratov region
• dukhovnitsky district