小板纤恙螨是我国恙虫病最主要传播媒介之一，但国内外对该螨分布的认识并不太清楚。中国西南地区以山区地理景观为主，境内存在恙虫病流行。北纬30°以南的西南大片区域被认为是我国地里纤恙螨的主要分布区之一，而小板纤恙螨被认为是我国北方部分地区的优势螨种和主要媒介。近年小板纤恙螨在云南山区的大量发现与传统认识明显不符，提示该螨广泛分布西南山区。根据研究假设，本项目拟通过分层抽样调查，结合现代生态研究手段和方法，研究并阐明小板纤恙螨在我国西南山区的诸多分布规律，包括在不同经纬度区域和海拔梯度的水平和垂直分布、生境和宿主选择以及季节分布规律等，揭示该螨与其他媒介恙螨在宿主选择上的种间共存、协调、竞争和排斥等生态关系。通过现场生态研究，验证假设，弥补此前对该螨认识的局限和不足，实现创新，为恙虫病媒介预测、预警、防控和相关后续研究提供直接可靠科学依据，同时培养稀缺的恙螨分类人才，在创新中传承经典分类技术。

Leptotrombidium scutellare is one of the most important vectors of scrub typhus (tsutsugamushi disease) in China, but the distribution about this species of chigger mite (trombiculid mite) is still not very clear. The main type of geographical landscape is the mountainous landscape in southwest China, where scrub typhus is prevalent. Most areas of southwest China located in south of north latitude 30 ° were traditionally considered as one of the main distribution regions of L. deliense while L. scutellare was considered to be the dominant species of chigger mites and the main vector of scrub typhus in some parts of northern China. In recent years, abundant individuals of L. scutellare found in the mountainous areas of Yunnan is obviously inconsistent with the traditional view, which implies a wide distribution of the mite L. scutellare in the mountainous areas of southwest China. Based on a hypothesis, the project will make a series of stratified sampling investigations in the mountainous areas of southwest China. Combined with some modern ecological strategies and methods, the project will study and verify the distribution patterns of L. scutellare, including the horizontal and vertical distributions along different latitude-longitude spans and altitude gradients, habitat and host selections, and seasonal fluctuations. It will elucidate the mutual relationships between L. scutellare and some other vector species of chigger mites, including their species coexistence, interspecific association, competition, repulsion and some other ecological relations. Through the ecological studies, it will verify the hypothesis, compensate for some limitations and inadequacies in the traditional view, and achieve innovations. The results of the project will provide reliable scientific data for future prediction, surveillance, control and some other related researches on the vectors of scrub typhus. In addition, the project will train the rare talents for the identification of chigger mites and inherit the techniques of classical taxonomy in the process of innovations.