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DeAgamis2: ВТОРОЙ МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ СИМПОЗИУМ ПО АГАМОВЫМ ЯЩЕРИЦАМ
MITES OF THE FAMILY PTERYGOSOMATIDAE (ACARI: PROSTIGMATA) -PERMANENT PARASITES OF LIZARDS AND PERSPECTIVES OF THEIR IMPLICATION IN INFERENCE OF HOST PHYLOGENY
Daniel Melnikov 1 and Andre Bochkov 1 2
1 Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences 1 Universitetskaya emb., St. Petersburg 199034, Russia E-mail: [email protected] 2 Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA E-mail: [email protected]
The mite family Pterygosomatidae is presented by permanent highly specialized ectoparasites. Most of them (about 200 species of 9 genera) are associated with lizards and live under or between host
the family Agamidae harbor mites of the subgenus Pterygosoma (about 50 species and subspecies). To date, these mites are known from hosts of 8 genera (from 48 known to date).Although several new spe-
Undescribed pterygosomatids of Calotes emma Gray 1845 (left photo, throat region) and Calotes mystaceus Dumeril and Bibron, 1837 (right photo, ear region) (foto Daniel Melnikov)
scales. Pterigosomatids are monoxenous parasites or associated with hosts belonging to the same genus; pterigosomatid genera or subgenera are limited in their diversity by particular lizard families. Hence, the pterygosomatid distribution on their hosts is generally highly non-random and the host-parasite associations of these mites may be used as a valuable data source to testify different host phyloge-netic hypotheses. Parasitological data may also provide a unique window into the historical biogeogra-phy of lizards. Unfortunately the insufficient knowledge of pterygosomatid biodiversity and, as a result, the absence of their phylogenetic reconstructions prevents to the analysis of coevolutionary relationships between these mites and lizards. The hosts of
cies of Pterygosoma were recently described and many of them are under description two main problems impede to study the pterigisomatid biodiversity. (1) In agamid populations, the percentage of individuals infested by pterigisomatids is usually not so high. (2) In the herpetological expeditions, the dissection microscope which is necessary to find and accurately collect pterygosomatids is usually absent. Thus, the purposeful jointing efforts of her-petologists and acarologists are necessary for successful examination of pterygosomatid biodiversity and the following analysis of host-parasite relationships.
Key words: Pterygosomatidae, Agamidae, phylogeny, host-parasite relationships.
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СОВРЕМЕННАЯ ГЕРПЕТОЛОГИЯ 2010 Т. 10, вып. 3/4
