We investigated the infestation of Eutrombicula alfreddugesi mites on Tropidurus torquatus lizards across ten coastal populations in Brazil to evaluate variations among localities and relationships with intrinsic features of hosts (body size and body condition). For each population, we calculated the prevalence of infestation and the mean number of mites per host (mean intensity of infestation). Lizards from all populations were infested by mites, with prevalence ranging from 95.6 to 100%. Mean intensities of infestation also were always high, ranging from 55.3 ± 88.8 to 280.9 ± 208.2 mites per lizard. The lizard body regions most intensely used as microhabitat by mites were the axillae and neck (which bear “mite pockets” in T. torquatus). In most populations, the number of mites tended to increase with the body size of hosts. The body condition of hosts and the intensity of infestation were positively correlated, considering the total sample (i.e. lizards of all populations pooled). The main microhabitats (i.e., body regions) used by E. alfreddugesi on T. torquatus represented total intensities of infestation, suggesting that counting mites on these body regions provide a useful index to estimate the overall intensity of infestation. Lizards are suitable and predictable resources for parasitic mites, which take advantage of ecological and morphological features of host individuals and species, with large body sizes, imbricated and keeled scales, and presence of skin folds and mite pockets favoring occupation and high intensities of infestation by mites.

我们调查了巴西十个沿海种群在拟南芥蜥蜴上的大叶螨（Eutrombicula alfreddugesi）螨的侵染，以评估地点之间的差异以及与寄主的内在特征（体型和身体状况）的关系。对于每个人群，我们计算了感染的发生率和每位宿主螨的平均数量（平均感染强度）。螨虫感染了所有种群的蜥蜴，患病率从95.6％到100％不等。平均侵染强度也总是很高，每只蜥蜴为55.3±88.8至280.9±208.2螨。由螨最强用作微生蜥蜴体区域是腋窝和颈部（其带有“螨口袋”中T. torquatus）。在大多数人群中，螨虫的数量往往随宿主的体型而增加。考虑到样本总数（即所有种群的蜥蜴），宿主的身体状况和侵染强度呈正相关。E. alfreddugesi在T. torquatus上使用的主要微生境（即身体区域）代表了总的侵扰强度，这表明对这些身体部位的螨虫计数提供了一个有用的指标，可以估算出总的侵扰强度。蜥蜴是寄生螨的合适且可预测的资源，它利用寄主个体和物种的生态和形态特征，具有较大的体型，有鳞的和龙骨状的鳞片，并且存在皮肤褶皱和螨虫小袋，有利于占领和高强度侵染螨。