Bannert B, Karaca H Y, Wohltmann A
Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Biologie, Germany.
Exp Appl Acarol. 2000 Aug;24(8):597-613. doi: 10.1023/a:1026504627926.
Wild-caught specimens of the lacertid lizard Gallotia galloti eisentrauti from the Canary Island of Tenerife were checked for ectoparasites. The parasitic gamasid mite Ophionyssus galloticolus Fain and Bannert (2000) was very abundant on these lizards. Additionally, parasitism by larvae of two species of Trombiculidae (Prostigmata: Parasitengona) was observed. O. galloticolus was reared in the laboratory on its natural host in order to investigate its life cycle, reproductive biology, and development. The life history of O. galloticolus is documented in detail and compared to literature data of other Ophionyssus species. O. galloticolus was found to be similar to other species of the same genus with respect to the duration of development, the precopulatory association of protonymphs, and the arrhenotokous development of eggs. However, it seems to be more tolerant towards low relative humidity and longer starvation periods than other Ophionyssus species. Evolutionary transformations of the life-history pattern of this genus and other parasitic mites in comparison to its predatory precursors involve a reduction or partial suppression of ontogenetic instars in order to decrease mortality during host-seeking phases, and a compensating increase in growth capacity of the remaining feeding instars facilitated by replacement of sclerites through elastic cuticle or by growth of new cuticle unrelated to a moult (neosomy).
对从加那利群岛特内里费岛野生捕获的加洛蒂蜥蜴（Gallotia galloti eisentrauti）样本进行了体外寄生虫检查。寄生性革螨Ophionyssus galloticolus Fain和Bannert（2000）在这些蜥蜴身上大量存在。此外，还观察到两种恙螨科（前气门亚目：寄生螨亚目）幼虫的寄生情况。为了研究O. galloticolus的生命周期、生殖生物学和发育情况，在实验室中以其天然宿主进行饲养。详细记录了O. galloticolus的生活史，并与其他Ophionyssus物种的文献数据进行了比较。发现O. galloticolus在发育持续时间、若虫前期交配关联以及卵的产雄孤雌生殖发育方面与同一属的其他物种相似。然而，与其他Ophionyssus物种相比，它似乎对低相对湿度和更长饥饿期的耐受性更强。与该属和其他寄生螨的捕食性祖先相比，其生活史模式的进化转变包括减少或部分抑制个体发育龄期，以降低寻找宿主阶段的死亡率，以及通过弹性表皮替代骨片或通过与蜕皮无关的新表皮生长（新体性）促进剩余取食龄期生长能力的补偿性增加。
