New host-parasite association of Acherontacarus rutilans (Acari, Hydrachnidia, Acherontacaridae) on Scarodytes halensis (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)

ABSTRACT

We report on a new larval host of the water mite Acherontacarus rutilans E. Angelier, 1951: the aquatic beetle Scarodytes halensis (Fabricius, 1787) (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). Among 3715 beetle specimens belonging to 14 genera of Dytiscidae collected from Bingöl province in the Eastern Anatolian Region of Turkey, two male individuals of S. halensis were found with five larvae of A. rutilans attached on the mesosternal region. The host species have not been reported previously and A. rutilans is also a new record for the Turkish fauna.

KEYWORDS:

• Bingöl Province
• diving beetles
• water mites
• Turkey

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Research Fund of Dicle University (DUBAP), project no 14-DÜBTAM-81. We would like to thank to DUBAP management for their support. We would like to thank to David Evans Walter, Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Acarology and unnamed reviewers of our manuscript for providing insightful comments to improve our manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Research Fund of Dicle University (DUBAP), project no 14-DÜBTAM-81.