''Geckobia estherae'', or Esther's gecko mite, is a species of external

parasite Parasitism is a Symbiosis, close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the Host (biology), host, causing it some harm, and is Adaptation, adapted str ...

from the genus ''Gekobia'' and is endemic to the

Maltese Islands The geography of Malta is dominated by water. Malta is an archipelago of coralline limestone, located in Europe, in the Mediterranean Sea, 81 kilometres south of Sicily, Italy,From Żebbuġ in Malta, coordinates: 36°04'48.2"N 14°15'06.7"E to Ca ...

. Very little is known about it except that its preferred (if not only) host is the local indigenous Moorish gecko ''

Tarentola mauritanica ''Tarentola mauritanica'', known as the common wall gecko, is a species of gecko (Gekkota) native to the western Mediterranean area of North Africa and Europe. It has been introduced to Madeira and Balearic Islands, and the Americas (in Montevi ...

'' and its preferred part of the body of its host seems to be the forehead. The species to date has only been found in one locality on its quite widespread host and therefore it is not only a Maltese species but a localised endemic. The species was named in honour of Esther Sciberras for her continuous assistance to the finder (Arnold Sciberras) in the study of the natural history.

References

* Bertrand M., Pfliegler W.P and Sciberras A.(2012) Does the African native host explain the African origin of the parasite? The Maltese Gekobia estherae n.sp parasitic on Tarentola mauritanica (Acari:Raphignathoidea :Pterygosomatidae). Acarologia 52(4): 353–366.

External links

timesofmalta.com
Animals described in 2012 Endemic fauna of Malta Trombidiformes {{acari-stub