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<p>Halarachnidae marine mites are obligate ectoparasites infesting the respiratory tract of marine mammals. Larvae disperse usually during nose to nose host interaction. Mite infested hosts can exhibit frequent sneezing and catarrh serving as an effective long-distance dispersal mechanism for mites. It is unknown if larvae can survive the host’s external environmental conditions and locate new hosts. In this work, we evaluated the thermal tolerance of two species of Halarachnidae mites, <i>Orthohalarachne attenuata</i> and <i>O. diminuata</i>, and if they are able to survive extreme temperature conditions exposing larvae to different high and low constant temperatures. Then, we tested if larval cultivation time influences thermal tolerance. Finally, we tested if both species have different locomotion capacities that can act as a complementary mechanism to thermal tolerance by means of a simple actometer. We found that <i>O. attenuata</i> has a higher thermal tolerance than <i>O. diminuata</i> when exposed to a combination of high and low temperatures and time of exposure, which is compatible with the hypothesis of a full larval development in the respiratory system organs and dispersion to the external environment. Also, we found that cultivation time does not influence thermal performance, at least during the times tested. Finally, we found that <i>O. diminuata</i> has a higher locomotion capacity than <i>O. attenuata</i>. Our experiments show that <i>O. attenuata</i> has an overall higher thermal tolerance than <i>O. diminuata</i> although a lower locomotion. Together, our results indicate that Halarachnidae mites larvae have different strategies to withstand host’s external environmental conditions but compatible with the hypothesis that larvae can disperse far through host sneezing and survive.</p>

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Differences in thermal tolerance and locomotion capacity support distinct dispersal strategies in larvae Halarachnidae marine mites

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月24日

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  • M. K. Castelo,
  • L. Pérez Zippilli,
  • J. P. Loureiro,
  • D. Erviti,
  • J. C. Altube De Noia,
  • G. A. Martínez,
  • J. E. Crespo

摘要

Halarachnidae marine mites are obligate ectoparasites infesting the respiratory tract of marine mammals. Larvae disperse usually during nose to nose host interaction. Mite infested hosts can exhibit frequent sneezing and catarrh serving as an effective long-distance dispersal mechanism for mites. It is unknown if larvae can survive the host’s external environmental conditions and locate new hosts. In this work, we evaluated the thermal tolerance of two species of Halarachnidae mites, Orthohalarachne attenuata and O. diminuata, and if they are able to survive extreme temperature conditions exposing larvae to different high and low constant temperatures. Then, we tested if larval cultivation time influences thermal tolerance. Finally, we tested if both species have different locomotion capacities that can act as a complementary mechanism to thermal tolerance by means of a simple actometer. We found that O. attenuata has a higher thermal tolerance than O. diminuata when exposed to a combination of high and low temperatures and time of exposure, which is compatible with the hypothesis of a full larval development in the respiratory system organs and dispersion to the external environment. Also, we found that cultivation time does not influence thermal performance, at least during the times tested. Finally, we found that O. diminuata has a higher locomotion capacity than O. attenuata. Our experiments show that O. attenuata has an overall higher thermal tolerance than O. diminuata although a lower locomotion. Together, our results indicate that Halarachnidae mites larvae have different strategies to withstand host’s external environmental conditions but compatible with the hypothesis that larvae can disperse far through host sneezing and survive.