Identification of the Chiggers (Acarina: Trombiculidae Collected by the Atlantic-Pacific Interoceanic Canal Study Commission in Panama and Colombia.
Abstract
Approximately 30 thousand larvae (5084 slides and nearly 25 thousand preserved chiggers) from Panama and Colombia were examined and identified. Twenty-eight species of chiggers were identified, 2 genera and 3 species in the subfamily Leeuwenhoekinae and 14 genera with 25 species belonging to the subfamily Trombiculinae. Species of hosts and numbers of kinds of chiggers were: 3 lizards with 2 chiggers, 6 birds with 5 chiggers and 23 mammals with 27 chiggers. Eutrombicula (3 species) were the most abundant chiggers with more than 3100 slides and over 18 thousand preserved larvae representing 60 percent of the total. Trombicula dunni, Crotiscus desdentatus, Fonsecia manueli, Trombicula keenani and Pseudoschoengastia bulbifera were the most common species in the remaining 40 percent. Most of these larval chiggers (85%) are ground or surface active, are red or orange in color and attach to the external surfaces and ears of terrestrial mammals. Less than 0.5 percent regularly occur in dry habitats and 5 percent (Fonsecia) normally live in rotten wood. Habitats of the others include caves, mines, burrows and other shelters. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1971
- Accession Number
- AD0733495
Entities
People
- Richard B. Loomis