Kingdom Animalia Phylum Arthropoda Rank Species Subclass Acari | Family Laelapidae Genus Dicrocheles Order Mesostigmata | |
Dicrocheles phalaenodectes is a parasitic mite of noctuid moths which infest the ear of certain species. They are notable in that only one ear is ever colonised, leaving one intact so that the host is still able to detect the sound from hunting bats. This is taken to be an adaptation reducing the 'virulence' of the parasite to avoid its own destruction along with the host. The mechanism in which this is accomplished is with a pheramone trail around the uncolonized ear, which leads to the colonized ear. Once an ear is colonized, scouts are sent to the other ear periodically to see if there are any mites and lead them to correct ear if they find any. This further refreshes the pheramone trail.
A population of moths was found in New Zealand in which both ears were parasitised, the local bat population being extinct.