Presentation Details
| Dispersal strategy and behavior in Halarachnidae parasitic mites of South American fur seals Jose E Crespo1, Juan Cruz Altube DE Noia1, Juan P Loureiro2, Lucia Perez Zippilli1, Dolores Erviti2, Gustavo A Martinez1, Marcela K Castelo1. 1Laboratorio de Entomología Experimental-Grupo de Investigación en Ecología de los Mares (LEE-GIEM), Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA-CONICET/UBA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ci, Buenos Aires Argentina.2Fundación Mundo Marino, San Clemente del Tuyu Argentina |
Abstract
Halarachnidae mites are obligate endoparasites of the respiratory tract of pinnipeds. Larvae are the dispersive stage and must survive external environmental conditions to colonize new hosts. We studied behavioral and ecophysiological adaptations underlying dispersal in Orthohalarachne attenuata (OA) and O. diminuata (OD), two species co-infesting Arctocephalus australis fur seal in South America. We evaluated thermal tolerance, locomotion capacity, and responses to hypoxia, humidity, and salinity. OA showed broader tolerance to both high and low temperatures, while OD exhibited greater locomotion capacity. Both species tolerated hypoxia, consistent with host diving behavior, but were susceptible to desiccation, making humidity the primary constraint for off-host survival. Hyperosmotic conditions were lethal for OA but not OD, suggesting interspecific differences in cuticle properties. These results reveal two potential distinct dispersal strategies: OA would rely on physiological resilience to endure environmental exposure, whereas OD on rapid host-finding through active locomotion behavior. These findings expand our understanding of host-parasite coevolution in marine mammals.
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