Population Structure and Climate Effects on Geckobia Infestation (Pterygosomatidae) in Ptyodactylus Geckos from Israel and West Bank, with Descriptions of Geckobia parva sp. nov. and G. inermis sp. nov.

Scale mites of the genus Geckobia (Pterygosomatidae) are highly specialized permanent parasites of geckos, but their diversity and ecology in arid environments remains poorly understood. We examined 1,135 museum specimens of Ptyodactylus geckos collected from 1965-1991 across Israel and West Bank's Mediterranean-desert climate gradient to investigate environmental effects on Geckobia mite distributions and population structure. We analyzed prevalence, intensity, population structure, and seasonal patterns across three climate zones using standard parasitological methods and Köppen-Geiger climate classification. We describe two new species, Geckobia inermis sp. nov. and G. parva sp. nov. from Ptyodactylus puiseuxi and provide first descriptions of previously unknown life stages: the male and nymphchrysalis of G. squameum, and the imagochrysalis and larva of G. bochkovi. We report P. oudrii as a new host for G. synthesys and address taxonomic confusion regarding northern Israeli host populations following recent phylogenetic revisions of Ptyodactylus. Only 37 hosts were infected (3.26% prevalence), with significant female bias in G. squameum populations. Most of mites (94.6%) concentrated in tympanum where we documented a “double skin plug” closing ear opening and creating favorable microenvironments for mite survival. Results demonstrate climate as the primary factor structuring mite distributions: environmental filtering showed systematic prevalence decline from Mediterranean zones (4.3%) to desert-edge areas (1.1%), representing a 3.9-fold gradient that exceeded host species effects by 5.2-fold. Populations exhibited phenological plasticity, with Mediterranean mites peaking in winter versus spring activity in semi-arid zones. Results demonstrate climate as the primary factor structuring mite distributions in arid systems, with implications for understanding parasite responses to environmental change.