<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<p>Parasitic arthropods of marine mammals are relatively poorly understood, with the least amount of data on the occurrence of parasitic arthropods in these hosts. Thus far, only seal lice <italic>Echinophthirius horridus</italic> (von Olfers, 1816) have been found in the Baltic seals, while there was no information about the presence of parasitic mites in these mammals. The nasopharyngeal mite <italic>Halarachne halichoeri</italic> (Allman, 1847) has recently been found in the gray seal <italic>Halichoerus grypus</italic> (Fabricius, 1791), representing a new species (and new genus) for the Polish fauna. Sixty three specimens were found in the nasal cavity and the trachea, including 18 females and 45 males. This is also the first documented record of Halarachnidae in seals of the Baltic Sea. A checklist of parasitic Halarachnidae known from marine mammals is also provided.</p></abstract>

Parasitic arthropods of marine mammals are relatively poorly understood, with the least amount of data on the occurrence of parasitic arthropods in these hosts. Thus far, only seal lice Echinophthirius horridus (von Olfers, 1816) have been found in the Baltic seals, while there was no information about the presence of parasitic mites in these mammals. The nasopharyngeal mite Halarachne halichoeri (Allman, 1847) has recently been found in the gray seal Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius, 1791), representing a new species (and new genus) for the Polish fauna. Sixty three specimens were found in the nasal cavity and the trachea, including 18 females and 45 males. This is also the first documented record of Halarachnidae in seals of the Baltic Sea. A checklist of parasitic Halarachnidae known from marine mammals is also provided.

Nasopharyngeal mites <italic>Halarachne halichoeri</italic> (Allman, 1847) parasitizing the gray seal <italic>Halichoerus grypus</italic> (Fabricius, 1791) in the Baltic Sea with notes on other parasitic Halarachnidae associated with marine mammals

Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, Faculty of Biology

Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology

Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Nasopharyngeal mites  (Allman, 1847) parasitizing the gray seal  (Fabricius, 1791) in the Baltic Sea with notes on other parasitic Halarachnidae associated with marine mammals

Parasitic arthropods of marine mammals are relatively poorly understood, with the least amount of data on the occurrence of parasitic arthropods in these...

Nasopharyngeal mites Halarachne halichoeri (Allman, 1847) parasitizing the gray seal Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius, 1791) in the Baltic Sea with notes on other parasitic Halarachnidae associated with marine mammals

Article Category: Original research paper

Published Online: Dec 03, 2018

Page range: 398 - 404

Received: Feb 03, 2018

Accepted: Mar 16, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ohs-2018-0037

© 2018 Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, University of Gdańsk, Poland

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.