Domestic cat parasite species new to science

The discovery of scientists from the Faculty of Biology of the University of Gdańsk has been listed among the most important events in Polish and world science in the year 2022 by the portal Science in Poland
https://naukawpolsce.pl/aktualnosci/news%2C94835%2Crok-2022-najwazniejsze-wydarzenia-w-polskiej-i-swiatowej-nauce.html
Information about the discovery:
https://naukawpolsce.pl/aktualnosci/news%2C91689%2Cpolscy-naukowcy-odkryli-nowy-gatunek-pasozyta.html

The parasites of domestic animals associated with humans seem to be well understood. Meanwhile, scientists from the Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, J.N. Izdebska, L. Rolbiecki and S. Fryderyk have discovered and described two parasites of the domestic cat, new to science, belonging to the mites of the family Demodecidae, which they named Demodex obliquus and Demodex murilegi.
So far, two species of mites from this group have been known in the cat, i.e. Demodex cati, described back in the 19th century, and Demodex gatoi in 1999. These parasites can cause the dangerous skin parasitic disease, feline demodecosis. There have been references in veterinary publications on this disease to the possibility of another specific species of this group, intermediate in length between D. cati and D. gatoi, parasitizing in the skin of the cat. This is probably the now-described D. obliquus, hence its name - 'obliquus', meaning intermediate. However, the team's research has yet to reveal the existence of a fourth demodecid mite, much larger than the previous ones, which has been named 'murilegi', after one of the Latin names for the domestic cat, 'murilegus' (literally - mouse catcher).
Demodecid mites are microscopic skin parasites commonly found in a variety of mammals and show specificity in their choice of location. The previously known feline demodecids most commonly locate in the region of the hairy scalp (D. cati) or the epidermis of various body regions (D. gatoi); the currently described D. obliquus prefers the region of the paws and D. murilegi the region of the hairless scalp (lips, chin, nose). This is an important finding of great practical significance, as different species can cause different disease symptoms; moreover, these parasites can co-occur in the same cat, causing a more complex disease course.

The results of the study were published in the prestigious journal Medical and Veterinary Entomology, published by the Royal Entomological Society.

The publication is available at the link:
https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mve.12628