New insights into the phylogeny of Laelapinae mites (Mesostigmata: Laelapidae) associated with sigmodontine rodents (Cricetidae) from Argentina, with a morphological characterization of two species of Mysolaelaps Fonseca, 1936

Abstract

Mites of the subfamily Laelapinae parasitic on small mammals are remarkably diverse in the Neotropics. Within thissubfamily, mites of the genus Mysolaelaps Fonseca, 1936 are endemic to the Neotropics and frequently associatedwith rodents of the tribe Oryzomyini (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae). Currently, Mysolaelaps comprises three describedspecies, exclusively on the bases of their morphology. This study aimed to provide molecular information of Mysolaelapsmicrospinosus Fonseca, 1936 and Mysolaelaps parvispinosus Fonseca, 1936 and analyze their phylogenetic relationshipsto other Laelapinae mites associated with rodents. Thirty-six mites were collected from Oligoryzomys flavescens(Waterhouse, 1837) from Argentina. Among them, 18 mites were identified as M. microspinosus and 18 as M. parvispinosus.A subsample of mites was submitted to DNA extraction and amplification of the nuclear region 18S-ITS1-5.8S-ITS2. Thephylogenetic analyses indicated a closer relationship between Mysolaelaps and Laelaps Koch, 1836 than with mites ofthe genus Androlaelaps Berlese, 1903 and Gigantolaelaps Nesbitt, 1951. The present study highlighted the scarcity ofinformation regarding the molecular biology of the genus Mysolaelaps and the importance of further molecular studiesfor understanding the evolutionary history of laelapid mites.