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. 2024 Oct 25:12:e18197.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.18197. eCollection 2024.

Myrmozercon mites are highly host specific: two new species of Myrmozercon Berlese associated with sympatric Camponotus ants in southern Quintana Roo, Mexico

Gabriela Pérez-Lachaud  1 , Hans Klompen  2 , Shahrooz Kazemi  2   3 , Jean-Paul Lachaud  1
Affiliations

Myrmozercon mites are highly host specific: two new species of Myrmozercon Berlese associated with sympatric Camponotus ants in southern Quintana Roo, Mexico

Gabriela Pérez-Lachaud et al. PeerJ. .

Abstract

Two new species of Myrmozercon, M. serratus sp. nov. and M. spatulatus sp. nov., are described based on adults and deutonymphs collected in association with ants in Mexico. They represent the first records of this genus from the Neotropic s.s. faunal region. Both new species are associated with hosts in the genus Camponotus from the same small area of a coastal lagoon, which share the same nesting habit preferences, providing strong evidence for host specificity. All but one colony of C. atriceps hosted mites, whereas they occurred in only half of the colonies of C. rectangularis. There was a significant positive correlation between the abundance of C. atriceps sexual ants and the abundance of mites. We summarize the known host associations for the genus Myrmozercon and discuss host specificity. Larvae of both mite species were collected on the wings of males and gynes suggesting that egg laying occurs on the hosts reproductive caste. Two hypotheses explaining this observation are discussed, larvae may be phoretic on winged sexuals, favoring mite co-dispersal with hosts, or larvae reside on the alates as a refuge from predation.

Keywords: Camponotini; Formicidae; Laelapidae; Melittiphinae; Mesostigmata; Myrmecophiles; Neotropics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare there are no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Study site (Laguna Guerrero).
(A) Map of the study site (credit: Holger Weissenberger). (B) General view of the mangrove and low vegetation at the border of the lagoon. (C–D) Views of vegetation at the private site. Photos credit: Humberto Bahena-Basave (B); Jean-Paul Lachaud (C–D).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Myrmozercon serratus sp. nov., female.
(A, C) Dorsal views. (B) Alternative arrangement of sclerotized band of marginal striations. Scale bar: 200 µm. (D) Gnathotectum. Scale bar: 50 µm; abbreviations: lb, labrum; sp, supralabral process. Photo credit: Shahrooz Kazemi & Hans Klompen.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Myrmozercon serratus sp. nov., female.
(A, B) Ventral views. Scale bar: 200 µm. Photo credit: Shahrooz Kazemi & Hans Klompen.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Myrmozercon serratus sp. nov.
(A) Subcapitulum female. (B) Subcapitulum deutonymph. (C) Chelicera female. (D) Chelicera male. (E) Chelicera deutonymph. (F) Palp female. Scale bars: 50 µm.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Myrmozercon serratus sp. nov., legs female, anterolateral view.
(A) Partial leg I. (B–D) Leg II–IV. Scale bar: 100 µm. Inset, detail pretarsus IV; scale bar: 50 µm.
Figure 6
Figure 6. Myrmozercon serratus sp. nov., male.
(A) Dorsal view. (B) Ventral view. Scale bar: 100 µm. Photo credit: Shahrooz Kazemi & Hans Klompen.
Figure 7
Figure 7. Myrmozercon spatulatus sp. nov., female.
(A, B) Dorsal views. Scale bar: 200 µm. Photo credit: Shahrooz Kazemi & Hans Klompen.
Figure 8
Figure 8. Myrmozercon spatulatus sp. nov., female.
(A, B) Ventral views. Scale bars: 200 µm. Photo credit: Shahrooz Kazemi & Hans Klompen.
Figure 9
Figure 9. Myrmozercon spatulatus sp. nov., female, details.
(A) Sternal shield and tritosternum (arrow: ventral spinelets on base tritosternum). (B) Bursa copulatrix. (C) Anal shield. (D) Gnathotectum. Scale bars: 50 µm. Photos credit: Shahrooz Kazemi & Hans Klompen.
Figure 10
Figure 10. Myrmozercon spatulatus sp. nov.
(A) Gnathotectum female. (B) Subcapitulum female. (C) Subcapitulum deutonymph. (D) Chelicera female. (E) Chelicera male. (F) Chelicera deutonymph. (G) Palp female. Scale bars: 50 µm; abbreviations: lb = labrum; sp = supralabral process.
Figure 11
Figure 11. Myrmozercon spatulatus. sp. nov., female.
(A–D) Partial view of femora and genua of legs I–IV. Scale bars: 200 µm. Photos credit: Shahrooz Kazemi & Hans Klompen.
Figure 12
Figure 12. Myrmozercon spatulatus sp. nov.
(A) Male, ventral view. (B) Deutonymph, ventral view. Scale bars: 100 µm. Photo credit: Shahrooz Kazemi & Hans Klompen.
Figure 13
Figure 13. Myrmozercon serratus sp. nov., larva.
(A) Larva on the wing of a Camponotus atriceps male. Note that the larva was dislodged from its initial, fixed position on the wing, between the veins. Scale bar: one mm. (B) Close-up, larva attached to the wings of a male ant, in original position. Scale bar: 0.5 mm. Arrows: possible remnants of exuviae. Photos credit: Humberto Bahena-Basave.
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