Phylogenetic relationships in rhinonyssid mites (Acari: Rhinonyssidae) based on ribosomal DNA sequences: insights for the discrimination of closely related species.

The complete internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), 5.8S rDNA and ITS2 region of the ribosomal DNA from 11 species of rhinonyssid mites ( Tinaminyssus columbae, T. minisetosum, T. sartbaevi, T. bubulci, T. melloi, T. streptopelioides, Sternostoma fulicae, S. boydi, S. strandtmanni, S. turdi, Rhinonyssus tringae) were sequenced to assess the utility of this genomic region in resolving taxonomic questions in this group and to estimate phylogenetic relationships between species. Two different geographic locations of T. melloi and T. streptopelioides were analyzed to detect intraspecies variation. Our study shows that ribosomal sequences can help to discriminate between T. melloi and T. sartbaevi, which are morphologically very close and difficult to separate by classic methods. The resulting phylogenetic tree shows some differences from the current taxonomy of the family Rhinonyssidae. This study appeals for the revision of the taxonomic status of S. boydi and closely related species which parasitize aquatic birds and suggests the synonymy of S. boydi and S. strandtmanni, despite the different hosts of the two mites.

Phylogenetic relationships in rhinonyssid mites (Acari: Rhinonyssidae) based on mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences.

A 390 bp region of the 16S rDNA gene was sequenced from six species of rhinonyssid mites (Tinaminyssus columbae, T. minisetosum, Sternostoma turdi, S. sternahirundo, S. fulicae and Ptilonyssus euroturdi) and two subspecies (Tinaminyssus melloi melloi and Tinaminyssus melloi streptopeliae) to examine the level of sequence variation and the taxonomic levels to show utility in phylogeny estimation. Furthermore, two different geographic locations of T. m. melloi and T. m. streptopeliae were analyzed to detect variation between populations. Molecular data revealed the existence of two distinct groups in the genus Tinaminyssus parasitic on columbiform birds. These results are in agreement with those reported by some authors using morphological characters. Sternostoma turdi parasitizing aerial birds appeared to be phylogenetically separated from other species of this genus isolated from aquatic birds. Moreover, our study addresses the validity of the subspecies status of T. melloi streptopeliae. This region of the mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene is a useful marker for inferring phylogenetic relationships among closely related rhinonyssid species, but not for more distantly related taxa.