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Research Article
Myobiid mites (Trombidiformes, Myobiidae) of the golden bat Mimon cozumelae from Mexico. Description of the male and tritonymph of Ioanella mimon and new records of Eudusbabekia mimon
expand article infoAngel Herrera-Mares‡, Carmen Guzmán-Cornejo‡, Livia León-Paniagua‡, Gerardo Rivas‡
‡ Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
† Deceased author

Corresponding author: Carmen Guzmán-Cornejo ( carguzmancornejo@gmail.com )

Academic editor: Vladimir Pesic
© 2017 Angel Herrera-Mares, Carmen Guzmán-Cornejo, Livia León-Paniagua, Gerardo Rivas.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation: Herrera-Mares A, Guzmán-Cornejo C, León-Paniagua L, Rivas G (2017) Myobiid mites (Trombidiformes, Myobiidae) of the golden bat Mimon cozumelae from Mexico. Description of the male and tritonymph of Ioanella mimon and new records of Eudusbabekia mimon. ZooKeys 658: 1-8. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.658.11507
ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FDA27E31-7786-441D-9B9C-5EE3947FACD8
Open Access

Abstract

The male and the tritonymph of Ioanella mimon are described for the first time parasitizing to Mimon cozumelae from Yucatan, Mexico. Male of I. mimon is characterized by the presence of legs I with the tibia and tarsus fused forming a small complex devoided of apical claws, legs II–IV with two claws, setae vi at level of anterior end of genital plate, genital plate rounded with an anterior projection, all intercoxal setae short; while the tritonymph is characterized by the presence of legs I unequal; legs II–IV with 2-1-1 claws, and posterior region of dorsal idiosoma with 3 pairs of cylindrical and toothed setae. Additionally, we include new locality and host records for Eudusbabekia mimon which was also found on M. cozumelae. Both species were described originally in association with Mimon bennettii at Bartica, Guyana.

Keywords

Myobiidae , Ioanella , Eudusbabekia , Phyllostomidae

Introduction

The genera Eudusbabekia Jameson, 1971 and Ioanella Dúsbabek & Lukoschus, 1973, include species associated with Phyllostomidae bats. The former is conformed by 32 species (Morales-Malacara et al. 2011) and the latter includes only five species (Bochkov 2009).

Particularly Eudusbabekia mimon Fain, 1973 and Ioanella mimon (Fain, 1973) were recorded parasitizing to Mimon bennettii Gray, 1938 from Bartica, Guyana (Fain 1973). Type material of both species is deposited in the Natural History Museum of London. The objective of this work is to provide the first morphological description of the male and tritonymph of I. mimon, and new host and locality records for both species associated with Mimon cozumelae Goldman, 1914 from Yucatan, Mexico.

Methods

A total of five bats were captured inside two hollowness located at carretera Santa Elena-Loltún Km 56, Yucatán, México (20°17'25.0"N, 89°38'43.3"W, 98 m) (Fig. 1). Bats were captured using mist nest and individually maintained until their posterior revision with a dissecting microscope. The Myobiidae (adults and nymphs) were removed from bats using fine, sharp forces and fixed and preserved in vials with 96% ethanol. The specimens were cleared in lactophenol and mounted in Hoyer’s medium. Mites were determined taxonomically. Descriptions and nomenclature for idiosomal setation follows Bochkov et al. (2008). Measures of body and setae are in micrometers and were made on a microscope Zeiss Axioscope 2 plus (Göttingen, Niedersachen, Germany), using the AXIOVISION 4 software; for measures we provide the average, followed by range in parenthesis. Drawings of specimens were made with a phase contrast microscope (Zeiss), equipped with a drawing tube. For the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the specimens were dehydrated in 100% ethanol and dried to a critical point with liquid carbon dioxide. The dried specimens were mounted on aluminum specimen stubs, coated with a gold palladium alloy, and examined using a scanning electronic microscope Hitachi Stereoscan Model S–2469 N SEM (Hitachi Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). Mites were deposited at Colección del Laboratorio de Acarología, Facultad de Ciencias (LAFC), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Host were captured under the permission SGPA/DGVS/08257/13 and deposited at Colección de Mamíferos, Museo de Zoología “Alfonso L. Herrera”, Facultad de Ciencias (MZFC), UNAM.

Figure 1. 

Map showing sampling site, carretera Santa Elena-Loltún, Km. 56, Yucatán, México.

Taxonomy

Family Myobiidae Mégnin, 1877

Eudusbabekia Jameson, 1971

Eudusbabekia mimon Fain, 1973

Material examined

1♂ ex Mimon cozumelae, Oquedad 1, carretera Santa Elena-Loltún Km. 56, Yucatán, México (LAFC-A01); 1♀, 1 PN same data, except Oquedad 2 (LAFC-A02).

Ioanella Dúsbabek & Lukoschus, 1973

Ioanella mimon (Fain, 1973)

Figs 2, 3, 4

Material examined

7 TN, 3 ♀, ex Mimon cozumelae, Oquedad 1, carretera Santa Elena-Loltún Km 56, Yucatán, México (LAFC-A03); 4 TN, 3 ♀, 2♂, same data, except Oquedad 2 (LAFC-A04).

Description

Male (Based on 2 males). Body length 225 (223–228); wide 139 (125–152). Body 1.6 larger than wide. Dorsal idiosoma (Fig. 2A). With a reduce number of setae. All dorsal setae slightly toothed except setae vi; vi at level of anterior end of genital plate; setae sci cylindrical, and situated close to the genital aperture. Setae sce cylindrical, with the base broad and becoming narrower to the tip and with the tip flat. Setae c2 not distinctly inflated basally; sci situated at 15–16 behind the sce; setae f2 absent as female; setae e1 minute. Length of setae: ve 21 (18–25), sce 28 (26–31), sci 17 (14–17), c2 20 (17–22). Distances between bases of setae: vi-vi: 30 (29–31), ve-ve: 46 (45–47), sce-sce: 53 (52–54), sci-sci: 23 (21–26), c2-c2: 79 (76–82), ve-sce 28 (24–29), sce-c2 68 (65–68), vi-sci 31 (29–33). Genital plate rounded with an anterior projection (Fig. 2A). Penis 90 (90–91) long. Ventral idiosoma (Fig. 2B). All coxal setae filiform.

Figure 2. 

Ioanella mimon, male. A Dorsal view B Ventral view. Scale bar: 50 μm.

Gnathosoma. Normally developed, with a pair of ventral flat and retrorse processes as in the female (Fain, 1978) but slightly less pronounced.

Legs. Tibia and tarsus I fused forming a small complex devoid of apical claws (Fig. 3). Genua I large, strongly oblique with a ventral clasping process recurved inwards and with 3 setae (Fig. 3). Trochanter I very broad, with the anterior end strongly expanded (Fig. 3). Legs II–IV narrow, ending in two short, subequal, and slightly curved claws. Setation for legs II–IV: tarsi 6-6-6, tibiae 6-6-6, genua 5-3-4, femora 5-3-2, trochanters 3-2-2. Tibia II–IV with a long and sinuous seta and a little thorn-like seta.

Figure 3. 

Ioanella mimon, male, leg I. A Dorsal view B Ventral view. Scale bar: 25 μm.

Description

Trytonymph (Based on 4 tritonymphs). Dorsal idiosoma. Posterior region of dorsum with 3 pairs of cylindrical and toothed setae: e1 14 (11–18), e2 15 (14–18), f1 14 (12–15) (Fig. 4A). Setae ve, vi, sce, sci, c1, d1, d2 absent. Ventral idiosoma. Setae h1 very thin. Setae 2a, 3a, 4a present and minute. Setae 1b and 1c shell-shaped, setae 1a very thin (Fig. 4B). Legs. Tarsi II–IV with 2-1-1 claws. Legs I unequal in shape (Fig. 4B); clasping process with internal striations (Fig. 4B). Setation for legs II–IV: Tarsi 6-6-6, tibiae 5-4-3, genua+femur 2-0-0, trochanters 0-0-0. Number of shell-shaped setae on legs I as follows: 2-0-1-2-1 (Tibia+Tarsus) (Fig. 4B).

Figure 4. 

Ioanella mimon, tritonymph. A Dorsal view B Ventral view.

Remarks

The male described in this study was determined as part of the genus Ioanella by the presence of legs I with the tibia and tarsus fused forming a small complex devoided of apical claws, legs II–IV with two claws, vi and sci thin and short, all intercoxal setae very short and the lacking of f2 (Fain 1978). The tritonymph was characterized by the presence of legs I unequal in shape and legs II–IV with 2-1-1 claws (Fain 1978).

The identification of males and tritonymphs as I. mimon was done correlating the presence of females on the same analyzed bats considering that myobiids exhibit high specificity to their hosts (Fain 1994).

Comparing our male specimens with the female described by Fain (1973), the only differences observed were in relation to femur and genua III due to we reported three setae instead of two and three setae instead of four, respectively.

This work represents the first description of a male of the genus Ioanella, and the second that describes a tritonymph for the genus; previously Fain (1973) described the tritonymph of Ioanella chrotopterus (Fain, 1973).

Eudusbabekia mimon and I. mimon are two species of myobiids recorded originally parasitizing to M. bennettii, in this work both species are referred for the first time in association with M. cozumelae, species formerly included as subspecies of M. bennettii (Ortega and Arita 1997, Villa-Ramírez 1967, Hall 1981), but considered by McCarthy (1987) and Wilson and Reeder (2005), as valid species.

Recent studies suggest that there is no sufficient morphological evidence to maintain M. cozumelae in a specific level (Gregorin et al. 2008; Hoppe and Ditchfield 2015).

On the other hand, Hurtado and Pacheco (2014) suggested that the genus Mimon is not a monophyletic taxon. They proposed to elevate to a genus category the two subgenera (Mimon and Anthorhina) referred by Gardner and Patton (1972). In accordance with Hurtado and Pacheco (2014), the genus Mimon must include to M. bennettii and M. cozumelae, and the genus Gardnerycteris (=Anthorhina) to Gardnerycteris crenulatum (É. Geoffroy, 1803) and Gardnerycteris koepckeae (Gardner and Patton, 1972). In this context, E. mimon and I. mimon will be associated with the bat species of the genus Mimon, while Eudusbabekia anthorhinae Dúsbabek and Lukoschus, 1974 and Ioanella martae Dúsbabek and Lukoschus, 1973 to the species of the genus Gardnerycteris.

Considering of degree of specificity of myobiid mites to genera or groups of species of hosts (Fain 1994), the referred association could support the Hurtado and Pacheco´s proposal.

Distribution

Guyana (Bartica), Mexico (Yucatan).

Acknowledgements

We thank Laura del Castillo Martínez for her assistance in the mounting process; Berenit Mendoza Garfias for preparing the scanning electron micrographs; Anabel Bieler Antolin for editing our photomicrographs and SEM images. Gerardo Contreras, Andrea Rebollo, Ali Lira, Griselda Montiel Parra, Martín Cabrera, Luis Darci Verde and Laura del Castillo Martínez for field assistance during the biological expeditions. This work was supported by the Programa de Apoyo a Proyectos de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (PAPIIT-UNAM No. IN214114).

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