Abstract
Riccardoella tokyoensis is a snail parasite recently recorded in Japan. To understand the basic ecology of this mite, we surveyed the life history of a population, including seasonal dynamics, host range, and geographical distribution in East Japan. Seasonal dynamics of the mite were studied in Rinshi-no-mori Park, Tokyo, Japan, from June 2016 to May 2018; thereafter, the morphology of each stage was described. In this park, the host population was infected with the mite in all seasons; however, the prevalence and infection intensities were highest during the warm seasons. Larvae and nymphs were found in the warm seasons. Proto- and tritonymphs were uncommon. To study the host range and geographical distribution, we sampled 1135 terrestrial mollusks from 16 families at 21 locations in Kanto and east Tokai areas from June 2016 to May 2020. Mites were detected at 13 locations, and only clausiliid snails were infected with the mite. Through a laboratory experiment, our observations confirmed that the mite was transmitted to the host lung via the pneumostome. None of the artificially infected snails died, although we maintained the snails for 2 months. No inflammation was found in naturally infected host tissue, suggesting that their virulence against the host snails was low. Riccardoella tokyoensis was not found in the litter layer in the field surveys, and no mite was observed on the external surface of the hosts, suggesting that the major habitat of this mite was the host lung.
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Datasets are in notebooks of TW. The specimens used were in the laboratory of the Faculty of Science, Toho University, Japan.
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No software with code used in this study.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Mr. Tsutsumi Norio, Mr. Hideaki Suga, and Ms. Kyoko Uehara for collecting the terrestrial mollusks for this study. Moreover, we express our gratitude toward the staff of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Construction Tobu (Eastern) District Park Office and the service center of Rinshi-no-mori Park, Tokyo, for their kind support in this research. We thank the office staff of the Institute for Nature Study, National Museum of Nature and Science; The University of Tokyo Chiba Forest (UTCBF); Funyu forest of Utsunomiya University; and Minakami forest of Nihon University, for permitting the mollusk sampling and providing the required facilities. This study was supported by the research project ‘Studies on Fauna and Flora of the Institute for Nature Study, National Museum of Nature and Science’ and by ‘LNest Grant Natural History Award’ and Fujiwara Natural History Foundation for T. W., and Charitable trust ‘Eco Ibaraki Fund’ preservation of the environment for H. I.
Funding
This study was supported by the research project “Studies on Fauna and Flora of the Institute for Nature Study, National Museum of Nature and Science.” This work was also supported by “LNest Grant Natural History Award” and Fujiwara Natural History Foundation for T. W., and Charitable trust “Eco Ibaraki Fund”- preservation of the environment for H. I
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TW and SS: research conceptualization; sample design and methodology; investigation and data collection; data analysis and interpretation; writing - original draft, review, and editing. HI and KU: research conceptualization and sample design; writing.
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Waki, T., Ikezawa, H., Umeda, K. et al. Natural history study on Riccardoella tokyoensis: life history with ontogeny and host distribution records. Exp Appl Acarol 83, 13–30 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-020-00575-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-020-00575-2