2.4. Chigger extraction and identification

A stereoscopic microscope was used to search for chiggers on the skin of each captured frog. For taxonomic identification, chiggers were extracted from the frogs' skin using needles and tweezers, and then preserved in 70% and 98% ethanol, chiggers were cleared with lactophenol and mounted individually on semi-permanent microscope slides in Hoyer's medium (Brennan and Goff, 2006; Hoffmann, 1990). All specimens were deposited in the National Mite Collection (CNAC) at the Biology Institute of the National Autonomous University of México, with access number: Hannemania sp. (CNAC011431-011453) and Eutrombicula alfreddugesi (E. alfreddugesi) (CNAC011454-011458).