Mites and ticks (Acari). Chapter 7.4

Abstract

Th e inventory of the alien Acari of Europe includes 96 species alien to Europe and 5 cryptogenic species. Among the alien species, 87 are mites and 9 tick species. Besides ticks which are obligate ectoparasites, 14 mite species belong to the parasitic/predator regime. Among these species, some invaded Europe with rodents (8 spp.) and others are parasitic to birds (2 spp). Th e remaining 77 mite species are all phytophagous and among these 40% belong to the Eriophyidae (37 spp.) and 29% to the Tetranychidae (27 spp.) families. Th ese two families include the most signifi cant agricultural pest. Th e rate of introductions has exponentially increased within the 20 th century, the amplifi cation of plant trade and agricultural commodities movements being the major invasion pathways. Most of the alien mite species (52%) are from North America, Asia (25%), and Central and South America (10%). Half of the ticks (4 spp.) alien to Europe originated from Africa. Most of the mite species are inconspicuous and data regarding invasive species and distribution range is only partially available. More research is needed for a better understanding of the ecological and economic eff ects of introduced Acari.

Integrating ecology and genetics to address Acari invasions

“…As a consequence, native species are continuously expanding their range from their native geographical areas (Vila et al 2010). The growing number of alien species of Tetranychidae recorded in Europe has increased 10-fold in the last 50 years (Navajas et al 2010). Most of these spider mites are prominent crop pests, illustrating the threat that species moving beyond their geographic area represent for agriculture.…”

“…data), on human travelers, or by taking advantage of past and present military conflicts, using the movement of the war logistical resources to extend their range to other countries and continents (Lockwood 2009;Canyon et al 2011;Pimentel 2011;Chevillon et al 2012). The economic or medical importance of the Acari increases with their ability to vector viruses, rickettsiae, spirochaetes, phytoplasmas, mycoplasmas and protozoas, or to harbor and transport nematodes, bacteria and fungi pathogens that affect plants, domestic and wild animals and humans (Jongejan and Uilenberg 2004;Mullen and OConnor 2009;Nicholson et al 2009;Bastianel et al 2010;Navajas et al 2010;Navia et al 2010Navia et al , 2012aRodrigues and Childers 2012).…”

Check list of parasites and bacteria recorded from pangolins (Manis sp.)

“…Similarly there were reports of Amblyomma latum ticks from Python; Amblyomma exornatum ticks from monitor lizards; Rhipicephalus simus ticks from dogs (Navajas et al 2010;Reeves et al 2006;Parola et al 2013). Guglielmone et al (2014) reported ten species of ticks found in pangolins also occur in different animal hosts (classified up to family level) including mammals, birds and reptiles.…”

Inventory of terrestrial alien arthropod predators and parasites established in Europe

“…Of these, 513 are predators or parasites, mainly parasitoids but also some mites (Table 1). The largest group is the insects (409 species constituting 79.7%), followed by spiders (47 species constituting 9.2%, data from Nentwig and Kobelt 2010), myriapods (34 species constituting 6.6%, data from Stoev et al 2010) and mites (23 species constituting 4.5%, data from Navajas et al 2010) as the next most speciose groups. The taxonomy of species within these alien groupings is extremely diverse, as highlighted by the large number of families represented (115 families).…”