• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.24 no.1 s.62
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• pp.15-18
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• 1985

Studies were made on the morphology and life cycle of the mite, Pyemotes tritici $Lagr{\acute{e}}z$-Fossot & $Montagn{\acute{e}}$ (Trombidiformes; Pyemotidea) ,parasitic on larvae of cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne F., which is one of the most serious pests of stored tobacco, cigar, and cigarette in Korea. One generation time was $20.9{\pm}0.7$ days out of which $9.5{\pm}0.3$ days were spent for feeding and $10.3{\pm}0.8$ days for reproduction of progenies. A female of this insect-parasitic mite produced $56.7{\pm}6.9$ progenies during her reproduction period. The body size of a newly-laid male or female was $280{\mu}m$ long and $85{\mu}m$ wide. As female of this mite sucked on, their abdomen grew larger and larger to reach $825{\mu}m$ in width and $0.346mm^3$ in volume after $9{\sim}10$ days. By sucking the humor of a host, the abdomen of a female mite became almost a global shape in two days. The increase rate of abdominal width was the biggest on the second or the third day of feeding while the volume of abdomen reached to the largest on $6{\sim}8$ days after feeding. The largest number of the daily young produced on 4-th day after a female began to reproduce.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.272-281
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• 2023

Chigger mites are the vector of scrub typhus. This study estimates the infestation status and ecological characteristics of chiggers on the chestnut white-bellied rat Niviventer fulvescens in Southwest China between 2001 and 2019. Chiggers were identified under the microscope, and infestation indices were calculated. The Preston's log-normal model was used to fit the curve of species abundance distribution. A total of 6,557 chiggers were collected in 136 of 342 N. fulvescens rats, showing high overall infestation indices (prevalence=39.8%, mean abundance=19.2, mean intensity=48.2) and high species diversity (S=100, H'=3.0). Leptotrombidium cangjiangense, Neotrombicula japonica, and Ascoschoengastia sifanga were the three dominant chigger species (constituent ratio=42.9%; 2,736/6,384) and exhibited an aggregated distribution among different rat individuals. We identified 100 chigger species, with 3 of them (Leptotrombidium scutellare, Leptotrombidium wenense, and Leptotrombidium deliense) as the main vectors of scrub typhus in China and nine species as potential vectors of this disease. Disease vector occurrence on N. fulvescens may increase the risk of spreading scrub typhus from rats to humans. Chigger infestation on N. fulvescens varied significantly in different environments. The species abundance distribution showed a log-normal distribution pattern. The estimated number of chigger species on N. fulvescens was 126 species.