Geckobia estherae

Geckobia estherae, or Esther's gecko mite, is a species of external parasite from the genus Gekobia and is endemic to the Maltese Islands. Very little is known about it except that its preferred (if not only) host is the local indigenous Moorish gecko Tarentola mauritanica and its preferred part of the body of its host seems to be the forehead. The species to date has only been found in one locality on its quite widespread host and therefore it is not only a Maltese species but a localised endemic. The species was named in honour of Esther Sciberras for her continuous assistance to the finder (Arnold Sciberras) in the study of the natural history.

Geckobia estherae
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Trombidiformes
Family:	Pterygosomatidae
Genus:	Geckobia
Species:	G. estherae
Binomial name
Geckobia estherae Bertrand, Pfliegler & Sciberras, 2012

References

• Bertrand M., Pfliegler W.P and Sciberras A.(2012) Does the African native host explain the African origin of the parasite? The Maltese Gekobia estherae n.sp parasitic on Tarentola mauritanica (Acari:Raphignathoidea :Pterygosomatidae). Acarologia 52(4): 353–366.

External links

• timesofmalta.com