Name
Latin: spinosis = with many thorns; turnix = bird: Coturnix coturnix; Greek: mys, myos = mouse.
This mite (Acari, Gamasida) parasitizes the wings of bats. It got its name, since it lives on the greater mouse-eared bat Myotis myotis and of related species reaching a body length of about 1 mm. These mites are highly specialized and reproduce exclusively on the wing or tail membranes, and all their developmental stages (protonymphs, dentonymphs, and female/male adults) feed on blood of their hosts being stored in the midgut and its branches reaching even into the legs. Nearly all bats are infected during bat breeding seasons due to overcrowded bat colonies.
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Further Readings
Postawa T, Szubert-Kruszynska A (2014) Is parasite load dependent on host aggregation size? Parasitol Res 113:1803–1811
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Mehlhorn, H. (2016). Spinturnix myotis . In: Mehlhorn, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Parasitology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-43978-4_4341
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-43978-4_4341
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Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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