A New Demodecidae Mite (Acariformes: Prostigmata) Parasitizing the Raccoon Procyon lotor (Carnivora: Procyonidae), an Invasive Species in Europe

The raccoon, Procyon lotor, is an alien species in Europe, where it is considered invasive and poses significant environmental and sanitary risks: it can increase the host reservoir by both introducing new parasites to the region and acquiring native ones. One permanent component of the mammalian parasitofauna is the Demodecidae, highly specific skin mites that often accompany their hosts in various regions of their range. To date, unidentified Demodex species have been found in raccoons within their native range. It has now become important to determine whether raccoons from invasive populations retain their specific parasites during range expansion and potentially spread them or whether they become colonized by other demodecid mites acquired from European mammals. The present analyses of three raccoons identified Demodex procyonis sp. nov. in the skin. This species is distinct from demodecid mites known from other mammals (including European species) but shows similarities in structure and location to mites found on raccoons in the United States. It is therefore likely to be a raccoon-specific species of Demodecidae and the first representative of this mite family described from the family Procyonidae.