Biodiversity of oribatid mites in the ecosystems of Dagestan and their infection with Moniezia sp. procercoids

The purpose of the research is studying the oribatid mite biodiversity on the Dagestan pastures in terms of altitudinal zonation and their infection with Moniezia sp. procercoids.Materials and methods. Oribatid mites were collected in different seasons of 1990–2020 on different types of pastures of the plain, foothill, and mountain belts of Dagestan. A total of 16,000 specimens of oribatid mites were collected. 120 sets of lamb intestines were dissected. Oribatid mites were collected using the Tulgren funnel. The method of complete helminthological dissection according to K. I. Skrjabin was used in the work.Results and discussion. On low-lying wet pastures of the flat belt, up to 5800 oribatid specimens were recorded per 1 m² with 38.0% prevalence of infection (PI) with moniezia cysticercoids; 675 specimens were collected on the steppe lands with the PI of 12.5%, up to 140 specimens were collected on salt marshes with the PI 0.9%, and 52 specimens were collected in the semi-deserts with the PI 0.4%. In the foothill steppes, 1,300 oribatids specimens were found per 1 m² with their procercoid infeсtion up to 18.0%, 2100 specimens with 16.0% were collected along river valleys, and 120 specimens with the PI of 0.5% on mountain plateaus. Lambs on low-lying wetlands of the lowland belt were infected with Moniezia sp. by 72.0% with the infection intensity (II) of 8-116 specimens, on steppe pastures by 67.5% at the II of 5–36 specimens, on salt marshes by 18.0% with the II of 2–8 specimens, and in semi-deserts by 12.0% with the II of 2–5 specimens. In the foothill steppes, lambs were infected with Moniezia sp. by 68.0% with the II of 9–64 specimens, along river valleys by 69.0% with the II of 11–62 specimens, and on mountain plateaus by 12.0% with the II of 2–4 specimens.