Sławomira Fryderyk

Demodex auricularis sp. nov. (Acari: Demodecidae) from the ear canal of the European wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus (Rodentia: Muridae)

Demodex auricularis sp. nov. is described from the European wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus Linnaeus, 1758 (Rodentia: Muridae) from Poland. Demodex auricularis sp. nov. is a medium-sized demodecid mite (adult stages average 214 µm in length) observed entirely in the ear canal of mice. One already identified species of analogical microhabitat is Demodex agrarii Bukva, 1994 from the ear canals of the striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius (Pallas, 1771). Demodex auricularis sp. nov. is most similar to Demodex lacrimalis Lukoschus & Jongman, 1974, from meibomian glands of eyelids found the same host, but differs by the following features: gnathosoma is oval, short and wide; supracoxal spines (setae elc.p) are stick-like; terminal palpi are equipped with three spines; epimeral plates (coxal fields) IV are weakly sclerotized, almost invisible; the opisthosoma tapered towards end and rounded at end in females and sharp at and in males, opisthosoma poorly striped. The differences also relate to body proportions, D. auricularis sp. nov. being shorter and wider, more stocky, with shorter opisthosoma. The new species was observed in 16.7% of the rodents examined. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:730E0D79-4B43-44EF-A118-BC8664361AD5

A new species of Demodex (Acari: Demodecidae) from the skin of the vibrissal area of the house mouse Mus musculus (Rodentia: Muridae), with data on parasitism

Abstract A new species, Demodex vibrissae sp. nov. (Acari: Demodecidae), is described based on the morphology of adults and nymphs from the skin of the house mouse Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758 in Poland. It is a demodecid mite of medium size (adult stages on average 179 µm in length), and its body is slender and strongly elongated. Individuals were found in the skin of the vibrissal area. D. vibrissae sp. nov. was noted in 10.3% of mice, with mean intensity of 8.3 parasites per host.

Demodex castoris sp. nov. (Acari: Demodecidae) parasitizing Castor fiber (Rodentia), and other parasitic arthropods associated with Castor spp.

A new species of demodecid mite, Demodex castoris sp. nov. (Acari: Prostigmata: Demodecidae), is described based on adult stages from the skin of the nasal region of the Eurasian beaver Castor fiber Linnaeus, 1758, collected in Poland. This is the first detection of a representative demodecid mite in rodents of the suborder Castorimorpha and also represents the first detection of a skin mite in Eurasian beavers. The new species is a small skin mite (average 173 µm in length) characterized by sexual dimorphism related to body proportions. D. castoris sp. nov. was observed in 4 out of 6 beavers examined (66.6%), with a mean intensity of 10.8 and an intensity range of 2-23 ind. host(-1). This paper also contains a checklist of parasitic arthropods known from Castor spp.

Adult and Immature Stages of the New Species of the Genus Demodex (Acariformes: Demodecidae) with Data on Parasitism, Topography, and Topical Specificity of Demodecid Mites in the Yellow-Necked Mouse, Apodemus flavicollis (Rodentia: Muridae)

Abstract Demodex mollis n. sp. is described from the yellow-necked mouse, Apodemus flavicollis (Melchior, 1834), from Poland. It is a medium-sized demodecid mite (adult stages are, on average, 249 μm long) observed in the skin of the eyelid area. This new species is most similar to two other species occupying similar a microhabitat in hosts of the same genus—Demodex lacrimalis Lukoschus and Jongman, 1974 from Apodemus sylvaticus Linnaeus, 1758 and Demodex huttereri Mertens, Lukoschus and Nutting, 1983 from Apodemus agrarius (Pallas, 1771)—but it differs in the following features: the terminal palpi are equipped with 3 spines, including 1 large claw-like spine and 1 single spine; subgnathosomal setae (setae n) are situated on both sides of the anterior side of the pharyngeal bulb; claws on the leg tarsi are bifurcated and each is equipped with large subterminal spur and proximal pointed projection; the opisthosoma is soft and flexible; and the male aedeagus has a different shape and localization. The differences also relate to sexual dimorphism. Males are more robust and stocky, epimeral plates I and IV are connected at the midline part of the podosoma, and epimeral plates II and III are separated. Females are slender, epimeral plates I–III are connected at the midline of the podosoma, and epimeral plate IV ia fused in 1 plate. The new species was noted in 22.5% of mice, with a mean intensity of 7.0 parasites per host. The topography of demodecid mites was also analyzed in the skin of A. flavicollis, and also Demodex corniculatus Izdebska, 2012 was observed in the hairy skin of the bodies of all the examined mice.