Patterns of Trombiculid Mite (Hannemania dunni) Parasitism among Plethodontid Salamanders in the Western Piedmont of North Carolina

• Published in: The Journal of parasitology 2008-06, Vol.94 (3), p.631-634
• Main Authors: Westfall, Marjorie C, Cecala, Kristen K, Price, Steven J, Dorcas, Michael E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abscesses; Abundance; Amphibians; Animals; Arachnida; Biological and medical sciences; Caudata; Chiggers; Desmognathus fuscus; Ectoparasites; Ectoparasitology; Eurycea cirrigera; Forest habitats; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; General aspects and techniques. Study of several systematic groups. Models; Habitat preferences; habitats; host attachment sites; host-parasite relationships; Invertebrates; Larvae; Linear Models; Mite Infestations - epidemiology; Mite Infestations - parasitology; Mite Infestations - veterinary; mite load; Mites; North Carolina - epidemiology; Parasite hosts; Parasites; Parasitism; Parasitology; Plethodon cylindraceus; Plethodontidae; population density; prevalence; Regression analysis; Reptiles & amphibians; Salamanders; salamanders and newts; seasonal variation; Seasons; Species; Trombiculidae; Trombiculidae - physiology; Urodela - parasitology
• ISSN: 0022-3395; 1937-2345
• DOI: 10.1645/GE-1260.1

Trombiculid mites are known to parasitize a variety of amphibian species, yet few comparisons of mite parasitism among amphibian species have been made. In this study, we investigated patterns of trombiculid mite parasitism among 3 plethodontid salamanders (Desmognathus fuscus, Eurycea cirrigera, and Plethodon cylindraceus) in the western Piedmont of North Carolina. All 3 salamander species were parasitized by a single species, Hannemania dunni. Desmognathus fuscus harbored mites more frequently (60.4% of individuals) than E. cirrigera (11.1%) or P. cylindraceus (14.6%). Desmognathus fuscus also had higher parasite loads than E. cirrigera or P. cylindraceus (P < 0.001). Mites on D. fuscus were found more frequently on the limbs than other body locations (P < 0.001). We found no correlation between salamander size and mite abundance (P = 0.689), but salamander collection sites influenced the abundance of mites on D. fuscus (P = 0.002). We found no effect of season on mite abundance in D. fuscus (P = 0.952). Salamander habitat preferences and edaphic or climatic differences among study sites may influence patterns of Hannemania sp. parasitism of salamanders.