Beetles parasitized by the mite Leptus lomani in coastal dunes of Puerto Madryn city, Chubut, Argentina

Name: Beetles parasitized by the mite Leptus lomani in coastal dunes of Puerto Madryn city, Chubut, Argentina
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
Keywords: PARASITENGONA

Datos de investigación

Beetles parasitized by the mite Leptus lomani in coastal dunes of Puerto Madryn city, Chubut, Argentina

Autores: Cheli, German Horacio Icon

; Cédola, Claudia Viviana; del Rio, Maria Guadalupe Icon

Colaboradores: Olivera, Patricia Isabel Icon

; Zaffaroni, Facundo Tomas Icon

Publicador: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

Fecha de depósito: 18/09/2025

Fecha de creación: 16/09/2025

Clasificación temática:

Zoología, Ornitología, Entomología, Etología

Resumen

El presente set de datos es parte de un trabajo científico donde se informa por primera vez sobre la asociación entre las larvas del ácaro Leptus lomani Oudemans y cinco especies de escarabajos de dos de las familias más abundantes y ecológicamente relevantes del noreste de la Patagonia, Curculionidae y Tenebrionidae. Este hallazgo representa el primer registro de una especie de Leptus que parasita escarabajos de la familia Curculionidae en América, y el segundo en Tenebrionidae. Además, se trata del primer registro de L. lomani asociado con coleópteros. Este hallazgo es relevante dado que L. lomani puede transmitir bacterias a sus hospedadores, causar su muerte y así afectar a los servicios ecosistémicos que estos coleópteros desempeñan.

Otro

Context: Coleopterans are the most diverse animal group worldwide and perform key ecological roles, including decomposition, pollination, seed dispersal, and pest regulation. Extra-Andean Patagonia, spanning 78.5 million hectares of arid and semi-arid ecosystems and considered the southernmost desert on Earth, harbors spatially heterogeneous habitats that sustain high biodiversity with many endemic species. In this region, coleopterans exceed all other terrestrial arthropods in richness and diversity. They provide essential ecosystem services such as pollination of native plants, consumption of exotic species, and nutrient cycling through plant debris decomposition. Because their communities are influenced by vegetation, soil, temperature, and precipitation, coleopterans are regarded as valuable bioindicators of environmental change in arid Patagonia. Coastal dune ridges are particularly important in this region, protecting littoral environments and urban areas from flooding caused by extreme tides or storms. Conserving biodiversity is therefore essential to safeguard these ecosystems and the services they provide. Yet, the arthropod fauna of northeastern Patagonian dunes remains poorly studied, and the threats they face, especially from ectoparasites, are largely unknown. Within Trombidiform mites, the cohort Parasitengona includes terrestrial and aquatic species with complex life cycles. Larvae are typically ectoparasites of insects and arachnids, while later stages are predators of small arthropods. The family Erythraeidae comprises many genera, including Leptus, with about 260 species, most of them parasitizing diverse arthropods. In Argentina, only two Leptus species have been reported so far, but recent findings reveal new host associations and distribution records, underscoring the need for further research on their ecology and role in Patagonian ecosystems. This dataset report, for the first time, the association between the mite Leptus lomani and five beetle species from two of the most abundant and ecologically relevant families in the coastal sand dunes of northeastern Patagonia: Tenebrionidae and Curculionidae.

Métodos

During a routine entomological sampling to assess the abundance of adult Tenebrionidae beetles Nyctelia circumundata Lesne (Pimeliinae: Nycteliini), and Emmallodera crenaticostata crenaticostata Blanchard (Tenebrioninae: Scotobiini) in the coastal sand dune system in front of the city of Puerto Madryn (42º47'33''S, 64º57'42''W, 23 m a.s.l.), Chubut, Argentina, positive observations regarding the presence of the ectoparasite mite Leptus sp on both beetle species were made. These coastal sand dune ridges have an aeolian origin, and are developed on paleomarine deposits and modern sediments, where the dominant vegetation cover is herbaceous accompanied by small shrub patches. Entomological samplings were performed using pitfall traps (live capture), arranging 40 traps in four transects of 10 pitfalls each. Pitfall samplings were conducted three times during the warm season of 2023-2024 year, on early spring, late spring, and late summer. In each sampling event, traps were inspected daily over seven consecutive days. Both the total number of N. circumundata, and E. crenaticostata crenaticostata individuals caught, and the number of specimens with mites attached in each sampling event was recorded. Since pitfall sampling was conducted as part of a capture–recapture experiment to estimate the survival of N. circumundata and E. crenaticostata crenaticostata, only five parasitized individuals of each species were collected (and preserved in 70% ethanol) to identify the mite species parasitizing them, in order not to affect the results of that study. Additionally, as a complementary sampling method, visual inspections of the soil, shrubs, and other occasional refuges were conducted looking for other parasitized coleopteran species. All coleopteran specimens observed with mites attached during visual inspections were collected and preserved in 70% ethanol. In the laboratory, mites were removed from host whit a fine brush, and cleared in lactophenol for identification. Then mites were mounted on a semi-permanent slide in Hoyer’s medium and they were identified using specific keys. Voucher specimens, mites and coleopteran species, were deposited in the Entomological Collections of the IPEEC (CCT CONICET CENPAT) and in the Museo de La Plata, Argentina.

Otro

Results: A total of 1384 individuals of tenebrionid beetles were sampled by pitfall traps: 1305 individuals of Nyctelia circumundata, and 79 individuals of Emmallodera crenaticostata crenaticostata. Among them, 21 individuals of both species were observed parasitized by mite larvae of Leptus lomani Oudemans (1.52% of the total captures). As a result of visual inspection events four parasitized specimens of other three coleopteran species were found: two individuals of Scotobius pilularius (Tenebrionidae: Tenebrioninae: Scotobiini), one specimen of Strangaliodes mutuarius Kuschel (Curculionidae: Entiminae: Trophiphorini), and one individual of Puranius sp (Curculionidae: Cyclominae: Listroderini). In average, six mites were found on Nyctelia circumundata, 15 on Emmallodera c. crenaticostata, and 33 on Scotobius pilularius. Additionally, the number of mites parasitizing the unique specimen of S. mutuarius was 20, while the Puranius sp exhibited 53 mites attached. Nine live specimens of L. lomani attached to their hosts were photographed using a stereomicroscope (Zeiss Stemi 305) with a camera (Axiocam 105 color) incorporated, and their body length (excluding the gnathosoma) were measured: three individuals on N. circumundata, three on E. c. crenaticostata, and three on S. pilularius. As a result, the average idiosoma length of L. lomani was 2.29 mm (SE = 0.086). Additionally, three live specimens detached from their hosts during handling were measured: the average total body length was 2.60 mm (SE = 0.077), the gnathosoma 0.51 mm (SE = 0.080), and the idiosoma 2.09 mm (SE = 0.022). The attachment location of mite larvae on their hosts was highly variable, being the most common the intersegmental membranes between some head sclerites, thorax, and abdominal sternites, as well as the joints between leg segments. The mite location indicates that L. lomani should prefer regions offering greater protection and space for parasite occupation.

Palabras clave: PARASITENGONA, ERYTHRAEIDAE, TENEBRIONIDAE, CURCULIONIDAE, ARID LANDS

Alcance geográfico

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Identificador del recurso

URI: http://hdl.handle.net/11336/271276

Colecciones

Datos de Investigación(CCT - LA PLATA)
Datos de Investigación de CTRO.CIENTIFICO TECNOL.CONICET - LA PLATA

Datos de Investigación(IPEEC)
Datos de Investigación de INSTITUTO PATAGONICO PARA EL ESTUDIO DE LOS ECOSISTEMAS CONTINENTALES

Citación

Cheli, German Horacio; Cédola, Claudia Viviana; del Rio, Maria Guadalupe; (2025): Beetles parasitized by the mite Leptus lomani in coastal dunes of Puerto Madryn city, Chubut, Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. (dataset). http://hdl.handle.net/11336/271276

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