TY  - JOUR
JF  - Acarologia
T1  - Current knowledge of the acarofauna parasitizing reptiles in Oman
VL  - 66
IS  - Suppl
SP  - 179
EP  - 179
PY  - 2026
SN  - 0044-586X
SN  - 2107-7207
PB  - Les Amis d'Acarologia
AU  - Radek, Baďura
AU  - Ivo, Papoušek
AU  - Oldřich, Sychra
UR  - https://doi.org/10.24349/grjy-iudj
DO  - 10.24349/grjy-iudj
DA  - 2026-07-20
ET  - 2026-07-20
KW  - Oman
KW  - chiggers
KW  - Trombiculidae
KW  - Pterygosomatidae
KW  - Gekkota
AB  - Among mites, several ecological adaptations are evident, with parasitism being among the most common. In 2023, parasitic mites from the order Trombidiformes were studied during a herpetological expedition across Oman. The Sultanate of Oman is home to over 80 reptile species, including 27 in the superfamily Gekkota. The expedition focused on mites from the families Leeuwenhoekiidae, Trombiculidae, and Pterygosomatidae, whose ecology is closely related to the superfamily Gekkota. To date, only one representative of the family Leeuwenhoekiidae, Arabapolonia omanensis Stekolnikov et al., 2012, is known from the territory of Oman. The Sultanate of Oman was divided into biotop types (sandy desert, Al Hajar Mountains, Dhofar Mountains), covering its entire area. Mites were collected individually from reptiles and preserved in 96% ethanol. PCR was then performed using three primer sets (LCO/HCO, 18fw/rev960, fw770/rev18S) and the resulting DNA fragments sequenced. The same individuals were used for microscopic preparations with Canada balsam. Morphological determination was performed using Olympus BX41 and QuickPHOTO Micro 3.1. Statistical analyses were studied using the Quantitative Parasitology program for parasitological data. Furthermore, the MEGA program was used to construct a phylogenetic tree, and the matrix of distances among individual haplotypes was observed using pairwise p-distance values. A total of 28 parasitic mites were collected from 13 geckos belonging to three families. Based on molecular analysis, six different species were detected, with the largest representation of the genera Eutrombicula and Acomatacarus (Acariformes: Trombiculidae) and Geckobia (Acariformes: Pterygosomatidae). These species were subsequently morphologically confirmed. However, this work is a pilot study of the local acarofauna, particularly species that parasitize reptiles. At the observed localities, we can also assume a frequent occurrence of mites parasitizing other vertebrates. Families in Oman certainly include more species.
ER -