Alexandr A Stekolnikov

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• D.Sc.
• Leading Researcher at Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences

The adult stage of a bat-parasitizing chigger mite Leptotrombidium miniopteri Feider, 1966 known from Romania was described for the first time based on specimens collected in Hacı Akif Cave located in the Konya Province of Türkiye. The identification was based on the larval offspring obtained from one female kept alive in a laboratory. At the same...

A new chigger mite genus and species, Karooacarus steynsburgensis gen et sp. n. is described from Namaqua rock mouse Micaelamys namaquensis (A. Smith, 1834) collected in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The new genus is similar to the group of genera that occur in South America, south of North America, and some Asian regions within Palear...

Chigger mite genus Hyracarus Lawrence, 1949, endemic to Tropical Africa, was revised based on the examination of type series, new materials, unpublished archive sources, and the literature. Five new species were described: Hyracarus bethuliensis sp. nov., H. ethiopicus sp. nov., H. sabiensis sp. nov., H. aryanicki sp. nov., and H. limpopoensis sp....

A revision of the chigger mite collection in the KwaZulu-Natal Museum (NM, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa) resulted in finding holotypes or paratypes for 15 of the 51 species described by R.F. Lawrence in 1948-1951 and originally deposited in this museum. Five species of chigger mites incompletely described by him have been redescribed based on the...

Background Trombiculid mites are globally distributed, highly diverse arachnids that largely lack molecular resources such as whole mitogenomes for the elucidation of taxonomic relationships. Trombiculid larvae (chiggers) parasitise vertebrates and can transmit bacteria (Orientia spp.) responsible for scrub typhus, a zoonotic febrile illness. Orien...

Chigger mites of the tribe Schoengastiini Vercammen-Grandjean, 1960 having five non-specialized setae on the palpal tarsus and some other genera related to Guntheria Womersley, 1939 were reviewed based on literature. Original descriptions and re-descriptions of 283 species were examined. A new classification of Guntheria was proposed, with the re-d...

Two new chigger species, Leptotrombidium mondulkiri sp. nov. and Walchia keoseima sp. nov., and one new subspecies, Leptotrombidium pilosum cambodiensis subsp. nov., are described from Cambodia. Three species, Walchia lupella (Traub and Evans, 1957), W. micropelta (Traub and Evans, 1957), and W. kritochaeta (Traub and Evans, 1957), are for the firs...

A new species Guntheria chawiensis sp. n. was described from an alcohol-fixed specimen of shrew originating from Kenya and deposited in the collection of Musée royal de l’Afrique centrale (Tervuren, Belgium). This species represents the first record of the genus Guntheria Womersley, 1939, which occurs almost exclusively in Australia and New Guinea,...

Background Trombiculid mites are globally distributed, highly diverse arachnids that largely lack molecular resources such as whole mitogenomes for the elucidation of taxonomic relationships. Trombiculid larvae (chiggers) parasitise vertebrates and can transmit bacteria (Orientia spp.) responsible for scrub typhus, a zoonotic febrile illness. Orien...

The chigger mites of Ethiopia were investigated based on materials collected in the field and museum depositories of alcohol-fixed mammals. Previously, only two chigger species were known from the country. In total, we collected 21 chigger species, mainly from rodents, occasionally insectivores, and one bat, from nine localities, and raised the num...

Chigger mites were collected from 65 bird species in different regions of Thailand and Malaysia. In total, 21 species were recorded. The previously unknown fauna of chiggers parasitizing shorebirds of Thailand included one new species, Neacariscus (Whartonacarus) andamanensis n. sp. as well as Neacariscus (Neacariscus) pluvius (Wharton, 1945) previ...

Chigger mites were collected from 65 bird species in different regions of Thailand and Malaysia. In total, 21 species were recorded. The previously unknown fauna of chiggers parasitizing shorebirds of Thailand included one new species, Neacariscus (Whartonacarus) ... n. sp. as well as Neacariscus (Neacariscus) pluvius (Wharton, 1945) previously rec...

The chigger genus Afrotrombicula Kolebinova and Vercammen-Grandjean, 1978 has been revised based on examination of museum specimens and reference data. Six species have been transferred to this genus from Neotrombicula Hirst, 1925 with the following new combinations: Afrotrombicula (Afrotrombicula) centrafricana (Goff, 1995), comb. nov., A. (A.) cl...

First data on the chigger mites of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are obtained based on the material collected from alcohol-fixed specimens of the Arabian spiny mouse, Acomys dimidiatus (Cretzschmar), stored in a museum collection. Four species of chiggers are recorded, three of which were previously known from the nearby provinces of Iran.

Supplementary Table 1 Summary of known host and distribution records for mite and tick parasites of lizard species in Morocco from previous surveys.

The aim of this study was to investigate the parasitic relationships of mites and ticks infesting lizards in Morocco and their determinant factors. A total of 1498 lizards representing 27 species, 8 families and 18 genera were randomly captured and examined in their natural habitats. The overall prevalence of ectoparasite infestation was 22.4%, wit...

Background Scrub typhus is a potentially severe infection caused by bacteria of the genus Orientia, endemic in Asia-Pacific and recently discovered in southern Chile. The presented study aimed to determine the prevalence and species richness of rodent-associated trombiculid mites and their infection with Orientia spp. in different areas of two regi...

Collections of chigger mites from murid rodents were performed in two bordering provinces of southwestern Saudi Arabia, Al Bahah and 'Asir. A total of 561 chiggers belonging to 19 species were collected in 2020 and 2021 from 54 rodents of two species, Acomys dimidiatus (Cretzchmar) and Mus musculus L. One new species is described: Odontacarus thesi...

First data on the chigger mites of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are obtained based on the material collected from alcohol-fixed specimens of the Arabian spiny mouse, Acomys dimidiatus (Cretzschmar), stored in a museum collection. Four species of chiggers are recorded, three of which were previously known from the nearby provinces of Iran.

Based on a series of collections, two new species are described from South Africa, Kayella bothmai sp. n. and Schoutedenichia finisafricae sp. n., parasitizing Micaelamys namaquensis (A. Smith) in Eastern and Northern Cape Provinces, respectively. The new species of Kayella Vercammen-Grandjean, 1960, recently recorded as Kayella sp., is the first s...

Four chigger mite species were collected from different bat hosts in several provinces of Spain. Leptotrombidium europaeum (Daniel & Brelih, 1959) and Ascoschoengastia latyshevi (Schluger, 1955) has been recorded for the first time on bats; Leptotrombidium russicum (Oudemans, 1902), A. latyshevi and Willmannium cavus moldaviensis Kudryashova, 1992...

Chigger mites are vectors of the bacterial disease scrub typhus, caused by Orientia spp. The bacterium is vertically transmitted in the vector and horizontally transmitted to terrestrial vertebrates (primarily wild small mammals), with humans as incidental hosts. Previous studies have shown that the size of the chigger populations is correlated wit...

The African genus Austracarus Lawrence, 1949 was revised based on type specimens and literature data. Two species were transferred to this genus from Acomatacarus Ewing, 1942 - A. gateri (Radford, 1942) and A. theileri Radford, 1947. Re-descriptions of these species based on their holotypes and one topotypic specimen were prepared. Two species were...

South Africa boasts a rich diversity of small mammals of which several are commensal and harbour parasites of zoonotic importance. However, limited information is available on the parasite diversity and distribution associated with rodents in South Africa. This is particularly relevant for Micaelamys namaquensis (Namaqua rock mouse), a regionally w...

The study focuses on chigger mites parasitizing bird hosts in three countries of Latin America, Costa Rica, Paraguay, and Peru. In total, 785 chiggers collected from 145 birds of 67 species have been identified. Three new species have been described: Eutrombicula talamancensis sp. nov., from ten bird species in Costa Rica, Eutrombicula cathari sp....

The chigger mite genus Tateracarus Goff, 1983 was known from one species, Tateracarus quadrisetosus Goff, 1983, described ex Gerbilliscus leucogaster (Peters) in Namibia. We describe two more species of this genus, Tateracarus kimberleyensis sp. n. and Tateracarus foliosetosus sp. n. collected from Micaelamys namaquensis (Smith) in the Northern Cap...

A new genus and species of chigger mites, Minteracarus mombasa n. gen., n. sp., has been described from the heart-nosed bat, Cardioderma cor (Peters) (Chiroptera: Megadermatidae) in Mombasa, Kenya. The description was based on the material identified as a new species of the genus Trombicula Berlese, 1905 by P.H. Vercammen- Grandjean, but remained u...

The chigger mites of Israel were reviewed based on the examination of museum collections, one new sample, and literature data. At present, seven species of chiggers are known from this country. Kepkatrombicula acomys (Radford, 1957) comb. n. was re-described based on a paratype. Neotrombicula tadjikistanica Kudryashova and Abou-Taka, 1987, the type...

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...

Microtrombicula peltifera nom. n. is proposed as a new substitute name to replace M. microscuta Stekolnikov, Al-Ghamdi, Alagaili and Makepeace, 2019, which was found to be a junior homonym of M. microscuta Zhao, Liang and Qu, 1989. Morphological differences between M. peltifera and M. microscuta are given.

Six mite species of the genus Leptotrombidium Nagayo, Miyagawa, Mitamura and Imamura, 1916 and one species from each of the genera Lorillatum Nadchatram, 1963 and Trombiculindus Radford, 1948, incompletely described by Schluger et al. (1960b, 1963) from rodents and tree shrews in North Vietnam, are re-described based on type series. Lectotypes and...

The exposure of a research team to chigger mites in southern Chile allowed the first identification of a trombiculid species as vector and reservoir of scrub typhus outside the tsutsugamushi triangle, providing unique insights into the ecology and transmission of this recently discovered rickettsial infection in South America.

The exposure of a research team to chigger mites in southern Chile allowed the first identification of a trombiculid species as vector and reservoir of scrub typhus outside the tsutsugamushi triangle, providing unique insights into the ecology and transmission of this recently discovered rickettsial infection in South America.

Three species of chigger mites, which are supposed to be agents of human trombiculiasis in Europe, have been studied based on museum collections and specimens collected by the authors. Trombicula toldti Winkler, 1953 has been transferred to the monotypic genus Blanciella Vercammen-Grandjean, 1960. The type species of this genus, Blanciella deschien...

Two chigger mite species, Ericotrombidium tarentolae (Vercammen-Grandjean & Langston, 1976) and Neotrombicula orycti Taufflieb, 1960, have been recorded outside their type localities and on two species of geckos from the genus Quedenfeldtia Boettger for the first time. One new subjective synonym has been established on the base of examination of ty...

Ten species of chigger mites from the genera Gahrliepia Oudemans, 1912, Walchia Ewing, 1931, Cheladonta Lipovsky, Crossley and Loomis, 1955, Doloisia Oudemans, 1910, Schoutedenichia Jadin and Vercammen-Grandjean, 1954, and Microtrombicula Ewing, 1950, incompletely described by Schluger et al. (1960a, c, 1961, 1963) from rodents in North Vietnam, ar...

A new genus and species of chigger mites, Sambonacarus nesomysi gen. et sp. nov., is described from a Madagascan endemic Nesomys rufus Peters, 1870 (Rodentia: Nesomyidae). The mite specimens are deposited in the Natural History Museum (London, UK) and were presumably collected from an alcohol-fixed specimen of island mouse deposited in the same mus...

Three new species of chigger mites are described from two species of iguana endemic to the Galápagos Islands. Odontacarus cruzi sp. nov. and Schoengastia galapa sp. nov. are found on the marine iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus Bell, and Eutrombicula pachytrichia sp. nov. is found on the Santa Fe land iguana, Conolophus pallidus Heller. All these mit...

Chigger mites (Acariformes: Trombiculidae) of Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines have been revised based on reference data and examination of type materials in European collections of chiggers. For 450 species of 49 genera synonymy, collection data on types, li...

Eight species of ectoparasites were collected during 225 gray mouse lemur, Microcebus murinus (J. F. Miller), captures, in Ankarafantsika National Park, Madagascar, in 2010-2011. The ixodid tick, Haemaphysalis lemuris Hoogstraal, was the most common ectoparasite and was mostly represented by nymphs. Other ectoparasites recorded include the polyplac...

Three species of chigger mites are recorded in our collections from four species of cricetid rodents on Chiloé Island (southern Chile, Los Lagos Region), an area endemic to scrub typhus (Orientia sp.). Two species are described as new-Herpetacarus (Abonnencia) eloisae sp. nov. and Quadraseta chiloensis sp. nov. One species, Paratrombicula goffi Ste...

Lesions caused by trombiculid mite larvae (‘chiggers’) in birds have been inadequately described. A juvenile red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) presented with multifocal, crater-like lesions of necrotizing dermatitis, which often contained multiple orange mites. Microscopically, there was a nodular necrotizing and pyogranulomatous dermatitis wit...

Chigger mites of northern Iran were studied on the basis of field collections from rodent hosts. Thirty-five species were recorded. Two new species, Cheladonta afshari Stekolnikov and Shamsi sp. nov., collected on Apodemus sp. in Guilan and Mazandaran Provinces, and Neotrombicula tehranensis Stekolnikov and Shamsi sp. nov., collected on Cricetulus...

Purpose: Larval stages of trombiculid mites infest a wide variety of wild and domestic animals. The most common clinical signs related with the presence of these parasites are alopecia, crusts, erythema, excoriation, erosion, papules, pustules and vesicles. Most of trombiculid infestations may not be perceived by the clinician due to their small s...

Chigger mites (Trombiculidae) are temporary habitat-specific ectoparasites that often occur on rodents. Little ecological data are available on chiggers associated with rodents in South Africa. The study aims were to (1) record the chigger species associated with rodents in the savanna, (2) assess if chigger species display parasitope preference on...

Background Scrub typhus, caused by a bacterial pathogen (Orientia spp.), is a potentially life-threatening febrile illness widely distributed in the Asia-Pacific region and is emerging elsewhere. The infection is transmitted by the larval stage of trombiculid mites (“chiggers”) that often exhibit low host specificity. Here, we present an analysis o...

A new chigger mite species, Schoutedenichia microcebi n. sp. is described from the grey mouse lemur Microcebus murinus (J.F. Miller) from Madagascar. The new species is closely related to S. dutoiti (Radford, 1948), a species described from a single specimen collected on a rodent in South Africa. Examination of the holotype and new material on S. d...

A collection of chigger mites from three species of rodents in the ꞌAsir Region of Saudi Arabia resulted in the finding of 19 species. Four new species are described: Schoutedenichia asirensis sp. nov., Schoutedenichia saudi sp. nov., Microtrombicula microscuta sp. nov., and Microtrombicula muhaylensis sp. nov. Fifteen species – Gahrliepia lawrence...

A sample of chigger mites from bat hosts collected in the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean Sea) is found to include two species. These are the first records of bat-infesting chiggers identified to species in Spain. Chiggers collected from Pipistrellus kuhlii (Kuhl) in Menorca are identified as Oudemansidium komareki (Daniel et Dusbábek, 1959...

A new species of chigger mite, Odontacarus scorpionivorus Stekolnikov and Saboori sp. nov., is described from a scorpion Mesobuthus eupeus (Koch) in the West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. It is the tenth known case of a chigger parasitizing an arthropod. The new species is similar to Odontacarus paradoxus (André) described from a scorpion host in Gr...

The personal collection of P.H. Vercammen-Grandjean, which is deposited in the Natural History Museum of Geneva (Switzerland), is revised and a catalogue of holotypes is compiled. The inventory includes data on the holotypes of 92 valid trombiculid species, 18 specimens erroneously labeled as holotypes and 84 specimens designated as holotypes of un...

Six new chigger mite species were described from rodents of South Africa: Ascoschoengastia ueckermanni sp. nov., Schoutedenichia horaki sp. nov., Herpetacarus octosetosus sp. nov., Herpetacarus decasetosus sp. nov., Microtrombicula graphiuri sp. nov. and Trombicula walkerae sp. nov. The genus Trombicula Berlese, 1905 sensu stricto, which is known f...

Chigger mites of Iran have been revised based on examination of type materials in the collection of Zoological Museum of Moscow University and reference data. Hitherto, 85 species of trombiculids were recorded in Iran; synonymy, diagnoses, data on depositories of type specimens, lists of hosts and collection localities are given for each species. O...

Scrub typhus, caused by a bacterial pathogen ( Orientia spp.), is a potentially life-threatening febrile illness widely distributed in the Asia-Pacific region and is emerging elsewhere. The infection is transmitted by the larval stage of trombiculid mites ("chiggers") that often exhibit low host specificity. Here, we present an analysis of chigger...

The vectors of scrub typhus are the larval stage of trombiculid mites, termed “chiggers”. These vectors are very small – the larvae are approximately 0.2 mm in size - and therefore their morphological identification is difficult. Trombiculid mites are widely distributed across Asia and they can be identified at the genus level by the shape, size an...

Background Conventional gold standard characterization of chigger mites involves chemical preparation procedures (i.e. specimen clearing) for visualization of morphological features, which however contributes to destruction of the arthropod host DNA and any endosymbiont or pathogen DNA harbored within the specimen. Methodology/Principal findings I...

Multilayer composite imaging–using bright-field phase contrast microscopy for mite identification. Panel A: Composite image of seven layers of the W. ewingi lupella leg III, with inserted panels A1-A3 depicting individual layer images focused on different setae (all scale bars 35 μm). While independent images appear out of focus, the stacked multil...

Checklist of required images for mite characterization. (DOCX)

Panel of autofluorescent mite scutum images demonstrating the morphometric features of five genera of trombiculid mites. The set of 153 permanently prepared chiggers via the Berlese method were re-examined using AF and AF-BF imaging, and exact morphological identification was made to the genus levels, using AF scutum measurements (5 genera shown, 7...

Chigger mite colonies on rodent ears. (A) Chigger mites infested on rodent ear. (B)-(D) Remark of chigger mites position selecting Images of rodent ears with chigger mites were taken using a stereo to mark exact chigger mite locations from colonies on the rodent ear, which were selected by purposive sampling for broad representative coverage. Panel...

A series of African chigger mites from the collection donated by Alex Fain (1912-2009) to the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences is revised. One new genus and species, Makwacarus petrodromi n. gen., n. sp. from an elephant shrew Petrodromus tetradactylus tordayi Thomas and two new species, Herpetacarus junkeri n. sp. from a snake Boaedon f...

Chigger mites of the African continent are reviewed using data acquired from the literature and examination of the collections deposited at the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Tervuren, Belgium) and the Natural History Museum (London, UK). All findings for 443 valid chigger species belonging to 61 genera are reported, along with details on their c...

A chigger mite species Neotrombicula absoluta Schluger, 1966, which was previously known only from its type locality in Transcarpathian Region of Ukraine, has been found in the vicinities of Kurgolovo Village (Kingisepp District, Leningrad Province, Russia). A single specimen of this species has been collected from the common shrew Sorex araneus L....

Zoonotic scrub typhus is vector-borne disease transmitting by the larval stage of Trombiculid mite called “chigger”. Chigger mite identification is needed microscopic process. The classical method of species identification necessary to destroy internal tissue and fix with microscopic slide. It seems to be impossible to get molecular information fro...

Scrub typhus is endemic in rural areas of Asia Pacific, including in Lao PDR. The causal agent, Orientia tsutsugamushi, is a gram-negative bacterium transmitted by Trombiculid mite larvae (chiggers), which live as ectoparasites on vertebrate hosts. For effective disease control, robust vector surveillance is essential, which should include understa...

A thesis for the Doctor of Science degree. Defended 14 October 2017 at Zoological Institute, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Chigger mites of Thailand were studied on the basis of larvae collected from 19 small mammal species (17 species of Rodentia, 1 species of Erinaceomorpha, and 1 species of Scandentia) and revision of published data. Samples of 38 trombiculid species were collected from 11 provinces. Three new species were described: Trombiculindus kosapani sp. nov....

A chigger mite Neotrombicula heptneri Kudryashova, 1973, which was originally described from three gerbillid species in Iran, is for the first time recorded in Turkey and on the domestic goat Capra hircus L. It is the second chigger species found infesting livestock in Turkey.

A new genus and species of chigger mites, Diaguitacarus choapensis gen. et sp. nov., is described from four lizard species of the genus Liolaemus in Choapa Province of Chile. Eight new chigger species are described from lizards of the genera Liolaemus, Phymaturus (Squamata: Liolaemidae), and Microlophus (Squamata: Tropiduridae), in Arica and Parina...

A new species of chigger mite, Lacertacarus sardiniensis sp. nov., is described from a lizard Podarcis tiliguerta (Gmelin) collected in Sardinia. One species, Ericotrombidium caucasicum (Schluger, 1967), previously known from Southern Russia and Southern Ukraine, is recorded for the first time on the lizards Podarcis filfolensis (Bedriaga) and Poda...

The first record of the chigger mite Neotrombicula talmiensis (Schluger, 1955) in Italy and on the grey squirrel Sciurus carolinensis Gmelin is reported. Four chigger specimens were found on this invasive North American squirrel species in February 2014 in the territory of Parchi di Nervi, Genoa.

For over a decade, the presence of trombiculid mites in some mountain areas of La Rioja (Northern Spain) and their association with seasonal human dermatitis have been recognized. This work aimed to establish the species identity of the agent causing trombiculiasis in the study area. Trombiculid larvae (chigger mites) were collected from vegetation...

A new chigger mite genus Laotrombicula n. g. and two new species, Laotrombicula khunboromi n. sp. (type-species) and L. fangumi n. sp., are described from the Laotian rock-rat Laonastes aenigmamus Jenkins, Kilpatrick, Robinson & Timmins (Rodentia: Diatomyidae). The new genus is most similar to Trombiculindus Radford, 1948 and Leptotrombidium Nagayo...

The chigger mite genus Leptotrombidium Nagayo, Miyagawa, Mitamura and Imamura, 1916 is reviewed using literature data. For 340 larval species brief diagnoses, synonymy, data on type hosts and type localities are provided. The genus is divided into species-groups based on morphological evidence enabling easier establishment of group-membership of un...

The monotypic chigger mite genus Paratrombicula Goff & Whitaker, 1984 is expanded to include five species. Two new species of chiggers, parasitising iguanid lizards in Chile, Paratrombicula chilensis n. sp. and P. goffi n. sp., are described, and two species, P. neuquenensis (Goff & Gettinger, 1995) n. comb. and Paratrombicula plaumanni (Brennan &...

A new chigger mite genus and species, Arabapolonia omanensis gen. nov. et sp. nov. is described from 4 gecko species, Hemidactylus lemurinus, H. homoeolepis (Gekkonidae), Ptyodactylus hasselquistii (Phyllodactylidae), and Pristurus rupestris (Sphaerodactylidae) collected in Oman. The new genus is characterized by the simple cheliceral blade, single...

Chigger mites of Turkey were studied on the base of three expeditions (in 1969, 1998, and 2009) and revision of all previously published data on this subject. In total, 43 species from 14 genera parasitizing rodents, soricomorphs, and reptiles in Turkey are considered, 37 of which are identified exactly. Eight new species from the Western and Centr...

External morphology of trombiculid larvae Kepkatrombicula desaleri (Methlagl, 1928) collected on chamois in Alps with special consideration of the mouth apparatus was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Standard morphological description of this species using optical microscopy is also given, with the discussion on its taxonomy. Neotype...

Arthropod symbiotes of the Laotian rock-rat, Laonastes aenigmamus (Rodentia:Diatomyidae), from Laos are examined. This host is a member of Diatomyidae previously thought to have gone extinct >10 million yr ago. Permanent symbiotes are represented by 2 species, a new species of sucking louse, Polyplax sp., near rhizomydis (Phthiraptera:Polyplacidae)...

Chigger mites of Afghanistan were studied on the base of collections made in Eastern and Central Hindu Kush, Kabul, and some other localities. Fifteen chigger species parasitizing nine species of Rodentia, two species of Lagomorpha, and one species of Soricomorpha were found, including 13 species which were not previously recorded in Afghanistan. E...

We revise chiggers belonging to the minuta-species group (genus Neotrombicula Hirst, 1925) from the Palaearctic using size-free multivariate morphometrics. This approach allowed us to resolve several diagnostic problems. We show that the widely distributed Neotrombicula scrupulosa Kudryashova, 1993 forms three spatially and ecologically isolated gr...

Four new species of chigger mites, Eutrombicula chillanensisn. sp., Eutrombicula araucanensisn. sp., Eutrombicula liolaemin. sp., and Eutrombicula paulan. sp., are described from three species of South American ground lizards of the genus Liolaemus Wiegmann, 1834 collected in Chile.

A new substitute name, Kepkatrombicula nom. n., is proposed for the chigger mite genus Eutonella Kudryashova, 1988 (preoccupied by Müller, 1921 for caddis flies); list of included species is given. Validity of the genus and taxonomic status of a human-infesting chigger Trombicula desaleri Methlagl, 1928 are discussed.

Three new species of chigger mites, Neotrombicula kounickyi sp. n., Leptotrombidium angkamii sp. n., and Doloisia vlastae sp. n., are described from two species of small mammals collected in the Barun Glacier Valley, Makalu region, Nepal Himalaya. Two species, Trombiculindus mehtai Fernandes et Kulkarni, 2003 and Cheladonta ikaoensis (Sasa et al.,...

Chigger mites were collected from 1,080 wild birds of 37 species at Certak (Czech Republic), in the western Carpathian Mountains, from 29 July to 24 September 2005. The prevalence of infestation with chigger larvae was 7%. A total of 325 chigger specimens from 10 bird species was identified and three chigger species were found: Neotrombicula autumn...

Two new species of chigger mites, Neotrombicula urartensis sp. n. from rodents and birds and N. kubanensis sp. n. from rodents, are described from Caucasus. Morphological discontinuity of Neotrombicula urartensis and N. scrupulosa was demonstrated using logistic regression analysis.

Three new species of chigger mites, Eutrombicula costaricensis sp. n., Eutrombicula passerinoruni sp. n., and Eutrombicula hectochaeta sp. n. are described from wild birds from Costa Rica. Two species, Eutrombicula pacae (Floch et Fauran, 1957) and Parasecia findata (Brennan, 1969), are recorded for the first time in Costa Rica and on new host spec...