Distribution and Diversity of Ectoparasite Mites on Geckos in Indonesia

Abstract

Data on the diversity and dispersal of parasitic mites on house geckos in Indonesia are very scarce. In this work, the distribution and diversity of mites living on three species of house geckos, namely Cosymbotus platyurus, Hemidactylus frenatus, and H. garnotii collected throughout Indonesia, has been elaborated. Geckos and mites were captured and immediately preserved in 70% ethanol. Whole mount of the mites was prepared by clearing in lactophenol followed by mounting on polyvinyl lactophenol solutions. The SEM preparation was conducted to examine the detail morphological characters of the mites. The results showed that among 448 individuals of geckos, 221 geckos were infected by Geckobia mites. Prevalences of C. platyurus, H. frenatus, and H. garnotii infested by mites were 14.8%, 50.69%, and 79.6%, respectively. Three different spesies of Geckobia (G1, G2, and G3) could be differentiated; and based on similarities of their morphological characters to ones described in published literatures, Geckobia G2 is Geckobia glebosum and Geckobia G3 is Geckobia bataviensis while G1 could not be identified to the species level. The highest mean intensity of Geckobia G1 infestation was found on H. garnotii (I=7.0), G. glebosum infestation on H. frenatus (I=3.5), and G. bataviensis infestation on H. garnotii (I=11.8). In general, C. platyurus was infested by the least number of mites. Geckobia G1 were found living on the skin folds on the claws, G. glebosum were found mainly on the body and thigh, and G. bataviensis were found on almost all parts of the host’s body. Geckobia mites are distributed randomly throughout Indonesian Archipelago, following the pattern of distribution of their hosts. So it is concluded that Geckobia G1, G. glebosum, and G. bataviensis are sympatric.

Tungau dari Famili Pterygosomatidae hidup sebagai parasit pada cicak dan kadal Gekkonidae. Tungau ini dikenal sebagai parasit penghisap darah. Tungau Geckobia (Famili Pterygosomatidae) dilaporkan ditemukan pada cicak Famili Gekkonidae dan sebagai ektoparasit pada cicak Hemidactylus di Asia Tenggara. Interaksi antara tungau parasit dengan cicak perlu diperhatikan, karena kebanyakan spesies cicak hidup di antara manusia. Tungau Geckobia naultina pada reptil Haplodactylus duvaocelli (Gekkonidae) di Selandia Baru ditemukan sebagai vektor pembawa Rickettsia. Data base penyakit infeksi global menunjukkan bahwa satwa liar berperan sebagai reservoir patogen untuk manusia dan hewan peliharaan / ternak. Cicak Cosymbotus platyurus, Hemidactylus frenatus dan Hemidactylus garnotii merupakan cicak rumah yang sering dijumpai di sekitar manusia. Informasi mengenai tungau ektoparasit pada cicak di Indonesia sangat diperlukan untuk mengantisipasi adanya penyakit yang disebarkan akibat interaksi tersebut. Penelitian ini dilakukan berdasar pada data penyebaran cicak di Indonesia dan adanya interaksi antara cicak dengan tungau ektoparasit.