Water-mite-host
Guides
Anopheles crucians
Anopheles crucians is a mosquito species inhabiting shaded aquatic environments with acidic water, particularly cypress swamps. It breeds in semipermanent and permanent pools, ponds, lakes, and swamps. The species is a documented host for parasitic water mites (Arrenurus spp.), with males showing significantly higher parasitism rates due to surface water contact during swarming behavior. It has been implicated as a potential malaria vector, with historical research documenting Plasmodium falciparum infection in 75% of examined individuals.
Buenoa
backswimmer
Buenoa is a genus of backswimmers (family Notonectidae) established by George Willis Kirkaldy in 1904 to accommodate Western Hemisphere species formerly placed in Anisops. The genus is distinguished from Anisops by males having a two-segmented front tarsus, versus one-segmented in the latter genus. Buenoa contains 69 described species distributed across the Americas. Members are aquatic predators inhabiting diverse freshwater and saltwater environments.
Buenoa scimitra
backswimmer
Buenoa scimitra is a backswimmer (Hemiptera: Notonectidae) first described by Bare in 1925. It inhabits freshwater environments across North America, the Caribbean, and Middle America. The species is a documented predator of mosquito larvae and serves as a known host for the parasitic water mite Hydrachna virella, which attaches to multiple instars and adults.
Dineutus nigrior
whirligig beetle
A species of whirligig beetle in the family Gyrinidae, found across North America. Adults are surface-dwelling aquatic beetles known for their distinctive circular swimming patterns and social aggregations on water. Males possess enlarged protarsal pads used during mating attempts, and accessory glands that show positive allometry associated with increased mating success. The species serves as host to water mites, with parasitism levels linked to host body condition and sex.
Paracoenia
shore flies
Paracoenia is a genus of shore flies (Diptera: Ephydridae) found in aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats. Species within this genus are associated with thermal springs, saline or alkaline lakes, and pond margins. Larvae develop in moist substrates at water edges, while adults and larvae feed on microorganisms including filamentous blue-green algae. The genus serves as an intermediate host for parasitic water mites and has been studied as an indicator of ecosystem stability in thermal environments.