Molecular and Morphological Identification of Dermanyssoid Mites (Parasitiformes: Mesostigmata: Dermanyssoidea) Causatives of a Parasitic Outbreak on Captive Snakes

A parasitic outbreak caused by dermanyssoid mites in a herpetarium of the Metropolitan area of the Valley of Mexico is revealed. This outbreak was caused by Hemilaelaps triangulus (Ewing), but a second mite species, Ophionyssus natricis (Gervais), was found in low abundance. The parasitic load is analyzed, and the morphological and molecular diagnostic characters to identify each of the two species involved are given. A barcode analysis is presented, and two more molecular markers are presented and analyzed. Hemilaelaps triangulus is recorded for the first time in Mexico, and this is the first record of massive infestation on captive snakes caused by ixodorhynchid mites, and DNA sequences of ixodorhynchid mites are publicly available for the first time.

Automated summary

A parasitic outbreak caused by Hemilaelaps triangulus mites was discovered in a herpetarium in the Metropolitan area of the Valley of Mexico, with a second mite species, Ophionyssus natricis, found in low abundance. Morphological and molecular diagnostic characters were used to identify the two species involved, with a barcode analysis and examination of additional molecular markers conducted. This outbreak marks the first record of Hemilaelaps triangulus in Mexico and the first documentation of massive infestation on captive snakes caused by ixodorhynchid mites, with DNA sequences of ixodorhynchid mites now publicly available.