New records of amphibians parasitized by chiggers in Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, Mexico, and taxonomic notes on Hannemania mexicana (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Leeuwenhoekiidae)

We conducted a survey on chigger mites infesting amphibians at Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve in Southeast Mexico, where we collected 25 frogs of three species: Lithobates berlandieri (n = 5), L. brownorum (n = 3) and L. vaillanti (n = 17). A total of 916 mites belonging to Hannemania mexicana Hoffmann, 1965 were collected. It is the first record of H. mexicana in the state of Veracruz and in L. brownorum and L. vaillanti. The frog species with the highest level of infestation was L. berlandieri with a prevalence of 80%, a mean abundance of 56 mites per host, and a mean intensity of 70 mites per infested host. Additionally, to corroborate identification we compared specimens from the type series of H. mexicana and we found variation in some characters of taxonomic importance such as the number of setae on leg genu and the shape of the palpal claw.