Dermanyssoidea is a superfamily of

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...

s, including most of the mites which parasitise

vertebrate Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxon, taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () (chordates with vertebral column, backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the ...

Families

Dermanyssoidea contains 21 families: * Dasyponyssidae * Dermanyssidae * Entonyssidae *

Haemogamasidae Haemogamasidae is a family of mites in the order Mesostigmata. Genera * '' Acanthochela'' Ewing, 1933 * '' Brevisterna'' Keegan, 1949 * '' Euhaemogamasus'' Ewing, 1933 * ''Eulaelaps'' Berlese, 1903 * ''Haemogamasus ''Haemogamasus'' is a genus ...

* Halarachnidae *

Hirstionyssidae Hirstionyssidae is a family of mites in the order Mesostigmata Mesostigmata is an order of mites belonging to the Parasitiformes. They are by far the largest group of Parasitiformes, with over 8,000 species in 130 families. Mesostigmata includ ...

Hystrichonyssidae ''Hystrichonyssus turneri'' is a species of mite placed in its own family, Hystrichonyssidae, in the order Mesostigmata Mesostigmata is an order of mites belonging to the Parasitiformes. They are by far the largest group of Parasitiformes, wit ...

Ixodorhynchidae Ixodorhynchidae is a small family of mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, ...

Laelapidae The Laelapidae are a family (biology), family of mites in the order Mesostigmata. The family is also referred to in the literature as Laelaptidae, which may be the correct spelling. Description Laelapidae have a shield covering all or most of ...

Larvamimidae ''Larvamima'' is a genus of mites placed in its own family, Larvamimidae, in the order Mesostigmata Mesostigmata is an order of mites belonging to the Parasitiformes. They are by far the largest group of Parasitiformes, with over 8,000 species ...

Leptolaelapidae Leptolaelapidae is a family of mites in the order Mesostigmata Mesostigmata is an order of mites belonging to the Parasitiformes. They are by far the largest group of Parasitiformes, with over 8,000 species in 130 families. Mesostigmata includ ...

* Macronyssidae *

Manitherionyssidae ''Manitherionyssus heterotarsus'' is a species of mite placed in its own family, Manitherionyssidae, in the order Mesostigmata Mesostigmata is an order of mites belonging to the Parasitiformes. They are by far the largest group of Parasitifor ...

Omentolaelapidae ''Omentolaelaps mehelyae'' is a species of mite placed in its own family, Omentolaelapidae, in the order Mesostigmata Mesostigmata is an order of mites belonging to the Parasitiformes. They are by far the largest group of Parasitiformes, with ...

Pneumophionyssidae ''Pneumophionyssus aristoterisi'' is a species of mite placed in its own family, Pneumophionyssidae, in the order Mesostigmata Mesostigmata is an order of mites belonging to the Parasitiformes. They are by far the largest group of Parasitiform ...

Raillietiidae ''Raillietia'' is a genus of mites placed in its own family, Railletiidae, in the order Mesostigmata. Its name honours French parasitologist Louis-Joseph Alcide Railliet Louis-Joseph Alcide Railliet (also known as Alcide Railliet, born 11 Marc ...

Rhinonyssidae Rhinonyssidae is a family of mites in the order Mesostigmata. There are about 16 genera and at least 460 described species in Rhinonyssidae. The mites of this family are obligate parasites of avian respiratory systems, living in nasal passagewa ...

* Spelaeorhynchidae *

Spinturnicidae Spinturnicidae is a family of mites in the order Mesostigmata. The mites are highly specialized parasites of wing or tail membrane or bats. Some species infest eyelids and eye canthi. The species of Spinturnicidae are found in bat habitats thro ...

Trichoaspididae ''Trichoaspis julus'' is a species of mite placed in its own family, Trichoaspididae, in the order Mesostigmata Mesostigmata is an order of mites belonging to the Parasitiformes. They are by far the largest group of Parasitiformes, with over 8 ...

* Uronyssidae *

Varroidae ''Varroa'' is a genus of parasitic mesostigmatan mites associated with honey bees, placed in its own family, Varroidae. The genus was named for Marcus Terentius Varro, a Roman scholar and beekeeper. The condition of a honeybee colony being infe ...

The familial composition is debated. For example, a 2010 analysis found Spelaeorhynchidae and Spinturnicidae to be more closely related to Eviphidoidea than to Dermanyssoidea.

Description

Dermanyssoidea are morphologically variable. For example, within '' Dermanyssus'' (Dermanyssidae) alone, there are some species that are compact and sclerotised with short and stout legs, while others are soft-bodied (to allow engorgement with blood) with reduced shields and slender legs. Like mites in general, Dermanyssoidea have a pair of

chelicerae The chelicerae () are the mouthparts of the subphylum Chelicerata, an arthropod group that includes arachnids, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. Commonly referred to as " jaws", chelicerae may be shaped as either articulated fangs, or simila ...

, but the size and shape of cheliceral segments and digits is highly variable across the superfamily. Spelaeorhynchidae and Spinturnicidae are highly modified morphologically for living on

bats Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

, with ''Spelaeorhynchus praecursor'' (the first known species of Spelaeorhynchidae) initially being mistaken for a

tick Ticks (order Ixodida) are parasitic arachnids that are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, species, and "fullness". Ticks are external parasites, living by ...

due to its appearance. Similarly, the laelapid ''

Sphaeroseius ecitophilus ''Sphaeroseius ecitophilus'' is a South American species of mite. Cândido Firmino de Mello-Leitão established the spider family Brucharachnidae in 1925 for the newly discovered genus and species from Córdoba, Argentina, ''Brucharachne ec ...

'' looks like a spider, not a mite, and was misidentified as a spider initially (''Brucharachne ecitophila'').

Parasitism

This superfamily engages in various forms of parasitism on a wide range of hosts. Some mainly inhabit animal nests and move onto hosts only to feed, while others live on hosts permanently. In the former group, there are facultative parasites that may feed on a host but are normally

predacious Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...

, and obligate parasites that must feed on a host. * Dermanyssidae and Macronyssidae are hematophagous parasites of vertebrates, mainly

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

and

rodents Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

. They feed on blood using chelicerae in the form of a stylet. They can go for long periods without feeding. * Spelaeorhynchidae and Spinturnicidae are ectoparasites of bats. * Some species of Laelapidae are parasites, such as on rodents. These include facultative nest parasites, obligatory nest parasites and permanent fur parasites. However, other species in this family are free-living predators or

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyly, monophyletic lineage within the ...

associates. * Entonyssidae, Ixodorhynchidae and Omentolaelapidae are parasites of

snakes Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...

, with the first of these being endoparasites of the

respiratory system The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies grea ...

. * Halarachnidae are endoparasites of the respiratory system of mammals. * Rhinonyssidae are endoparasites of the respiratory system of birds. * Dasyponyssidae are parasites of

armadillos Armadillos (meaning "little armored ones" in Spanish) are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. The Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae are the only surviving families in the order, which is part of the superorder Xenarthra, al ...

. * The sole species of Hystrichonyssidae is a parasite of Asian porcupines. * The sole species of Manitherionnyssidae is a parasite of pangolins. * Lastly, Varroidae are parasites of

honey bees A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current cos ...

Disease transmission

Due to their parasitism, some Dermanyssoidea are vectors of disease-causing

pathogens In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a ger ...

. They are known or suspected to transmit

viruses A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room ...

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were am ...

, protozoans and

nematodes The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhabiting a broa ...

. Most of these vectors are in families Dermanyssidae, Macronyssidae and Laelapidae.

Phylogeny

A 2010 analysis suggests that parasitism evolved independently at least eight times within Dermanyssoidea.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1936504 Mesostigmata Taxa named by Friedrich August Rudolph Kolenati Arachnid superfamilies