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Distribution of chigger mites (Acari: Trombiculidae) over hosts, parasitopes, collection localities, and seasons in northern Iran

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Abstract

We studied the distribution of chigger mite species over mammal hosts, attachment sites on the host body, habitats, and seasons in Iran. The study was based on 2155 specimens of 36 chigger species collected from 10 species of Muridae, Cricetidae, and Soricidae across six provinces of northern Iran. A high level of mixed infestation by chiggers was recorded—76% of hosts parasitized by chiggers were infested by more than one (2–8) species. Statistically significant differences in the preference for anterior and posterior parts of the host body were found. Three species—Neotrombicula lubrica, N. delijani, and Cheladonta firdousii—preferred the posterior part of the host body; 12 species were characterized by the occurrence in the anterior part and differed from one another by the frequency of presence in the posterior part. One species, Hirsutiella alpina, was found only in the anterior part of the host body (inside the ears of rodents). The most diverse chigger fauna was on the fringe of Golestan National Park (species richness = 21, Shannon–Wiener index = 2.823). The chigger fauna of the high-mountain localities on the Alborz Range was the least diverse (species richness = 16, Shannon–Wiener index = 2.439). The seasonal aspect of activity was evident for Neotrombicula elegans, which exposed the autumn–winter period of the occurrence on hosts, and N. vernalis, with the winter-spring peak of abundance.

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Data availability

Datasets are in the personal computers of authors and available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. The specimens are deposited in acarological collections at the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia, and the Jalal Afshar Zoological Museum of University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

Code availability

No coded software was used for this study.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Drs. Roohollah Siahsarvie (Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran) and Leonid Voyta (Laboratory of Theriology, Zoological Institute RAS, St Petersburg, Russia) for the identification of mammal hosts. We express our gratitude to Prof. Paul Newton (Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK), for reviewing the English language of the manuscript and useful comments. We thank two anonymous reviewers whose criticism induced improving presentation of our data. This research was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (AAAA-A19-119020790133-6, to AAS), the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (17-54-560013 Iran_a, to AAS) and by Iranian National Science Foundation (96003653, to AS, MS and MH).

Funding

The field and laboratory work in 2017–2019 was financed by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Grant No. 17-54-560013 Iran_a, to AAS) and by Iranian National Science Foundation (Grant No. 96003653, to AS, MS and MH). The analyses and manuscript preparation in 2021 were supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (Grant No. AAAA-A19-119020790133-6, to AAS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia

    Alexandr A. Stekolnikov

  2. Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

    Mohsen Shamsi, Alireza Saboori & Azadeh Zahedi Golpayegani

  3. Department of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran

    Masoud Hakimitabar

Authors
  1. Alexandr A. Stekolnikov
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  2. Mohsen Shamsi
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  3. Alireza Saboori
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  4. Azadeh Zahedi Golpayegani
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  5. Masoud Hakimitabar
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Contributions

AAS and MS collected, prepared and identified the samples; AAS designed the methodology, performed the analyses and wrote the manuscript; AS, AZG and MH planned and organized the fieldwork; AAS and AS acquired the financial support for the project; all authors approved the final version of the article.

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Correspondence to Alexandr A. Stekolnikov.

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Stekolnikov, A.A., Shamsi, M., Saboori, A. et al. Distribution of chigger mites (Acari: Trombiculidae) over hosts, parasitopes, collection localities, and seasons in northern Iran. Exp Appl Acarol 86, 21–47 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-021-00680-w

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