The Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Behaviour of Mites.

In the intricate web of biodiversity, mites serve as fundamental, yet often overlooked, architects, playing essential roles in ecosystems across the globe [...].

Enigmatic host-mite relationships: Unraveling the distribution of quill mites on Birds-of-Paradise.

Mites of the family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Cheyletoidea) are permanent and obligatory parasites of birds. This study presents an analysis of mite material collected from 22 avian species belonging to the family Paradisaeidae (Passeriformes), revealing the presence of four mite species belonging to four genera: Syringophiloidus attenboroughi n. sp., Peristerophila regiusi n. comb., Picobia frankei, and Gunabopicobia garylarsoni. In the present work, the genus Neoperisterophila is synonymized with the genus Peristerophila. While the genera Syringophiloidus and Picobia were expectedly found on paradisaeid birds, given their prevalence in passerines, the presence of Peristerophila and Gunabopicobia was intriguing, suggesting potential host-switching events. The specificity of these mites varies, with some showing occurrence on hosts of closely related genera and others infesting phylogenetically distant hosts. Notably, the distribution of specific mite species on the Birds-of-Paradise appears to be influenced by both long coevolutionary histories and incidental contacts between often unrelated or intergeneric hybrid species of paradisaeid birds. Furthermore, our research of 104 specimens from 22 Birds-of-Paradise species shows generally low infestation rates across the studied species, suggesting a nuanced interaction between these mites and their avian hosts. Additionally, our network analysis provides a deeper understanding of these host-parasite interactions, revealing a high level of specialization and complexity in these ecological relationships.

Lost companions: a new quill mite species and its possible coextinction with the Carolina parakeet.

Investigations of the parasites associated with extinct avian species provide unique insights into the ecology and evolution of both hosts and their parasitic counterparts. In the present paper, a new quill mite species, Peristerophila conuropsis sp. n., belonging to the family Syringophilidae (Prostigmata: Cheyletoidea) is described from the Carolina parakeet Conuropsis carolinensis Linnaeus (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae). This new species was collected from museum dry skin of the Carolina parakeet, the only native representative of the Psittacidae in the United States, which was an abundant resident of the southeastern and midwestern states and has been extinct in the beginning of the 20th century. Comment on the current taxonomic state and host associations of the genus Peristerophila are provided. Based on the host associations and habitats occupied by Peristerophila and related genera on parrots, it is hypothesized with the high probability that P. conuropsis has been extinct along with its host.

Tinamiphilopsis temmincki sp. n., a New Quill Mite Species from Tataupa Tinamou, and the Early History of Syringophilid Mites.

The quill mite fauna of the Syringophilidae family (Acariformes: Prostigmata), which is associated with palaeognathous birds of the Tinamiformes order, remains poorly studied. Thus far, only two species of syringophilid mites have been documented on four species of tinamous. In this study, we present a description of a new species, Tinamiphilopsis temmincki sp. n., which was found on the Tataupa Tinamou (Crypturellus tataupa) in South America. This newly identified species differs from others in the genus due to the short hysteronotal setae d2 in females, unlike the long setae d2 found in females of other Tinamiphilopsis species. In addition to describing the new species, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis of the primitive syringophilid genera. The results reveal that the Tinamiphilopsis genus does not emerge as a sister group to all other syringophilids. Instead, it is deeply embedded within the radiation of quill mites associated with neognathous birds. This study provided evidence that mites belonging to the genus Tinamiphilopsis initially parasitised Neoavian birds before host switching to tinamous birds. This placement carries significant implications for our understanding of the evolution of quill mites and their relationship with their avian hosts.

Life Stages and Phylogenetic Position of the New Scale-Mite of the Genus Neopterygosoma (Acariformes: Pterygosomatidae) from Robert's Tree Iguana.

A new pterygosomatid mite species, Neopterygosoma robertmertensi sp. n. (Acariformes: Pterygosomatidae) was collected from two specimens of Liolaemus robertmertensi (Liolaemidae) from Argentina. This new species is described based on active stages: adults (female and male) and juveniles (deutonymphs, protonymphs, and larvae) and quiescent stages (nymphchrysalis, deutochrysalis and imagochrysalis). The changes in morphological characters that occur during the ontogeny of N. robertmertensi have been analyzed in detail. A difference in larval sex morphology was observed for the first time in the family Pterygosomatidae (female larvae differ from male larvae in terms of the shape and size of the idiosoma and the position of the genital area). This new mite species is most similar to N. cyanogasteri but can be distinguished by the presence of different leg chaetotaxy patterns of genua IV and femora IV, four to six genital setae, three to five dorsomedial setae, and two to three ventromedial setae. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted based on 120 morphological characters of all Neopterygosoma spp. and four outgroup species using the maximum parsimony approach. The results indicated that this species is nested within mites of the chilensis group of Neopterygosoma associated with host species of the section chiliensis of Liolaemus s. str. An updated diagnosis of the chilensis group of Neopterygosoma and an identification key for all species of this genus has been provided.

Species Composition of Parasitic Mites of the Subfamily Picobiinae (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) Associated with African Barbets (Piciformes: Lybiidae).

In this study, we conducted a parasitological investigation of the quill mite fauna of the subfamily Picobiinae (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) associated with African barbets (Aves: Piciformes: Lybiidae). We examined twenty-seven host species, representing 57% of the forty-seven known host species in the family Lybiidae, belonging to seven genera (70% of the ten genera in the family). Our research revealed that ten host species were infested by three species of picobiine mites belonging to the genus Tanopicobia: (1) Tanopicobia hallae Sikora and Skoracki, sp. n., from three species of the genus Lybius and two species of the genus Tricholaema, (2) Tanopicobia stactolaema Sikora and Skoracki, sp. n., from two species of the genus Stactolaema, and (3) Tanopicobia trachyphoni Skoracki et al., 2020, collected from three host species of the genus Trachyphonus. Our findings demonstrate that birds belonging to the family Lybiidae have a specific parasite fauna consisting exclusively of mites of the genus Tanopicobia; this mite genus is apparently restricted to African barbets.

First Records of Picobiine Mites Associated with Birds-of-Paradise: Can Interspecific Sexual Behaviour of Hosts Play a Role in the Distribution of Quill Mite Parasites?

While birds-of-paradise (Passeriformes: Paradisaeidae) are a well-known group of birds, our understanding of their parasites is still limited. This study reports on parasitic quill mites of the subfamily Picobiinae (Acariformes: Syringophilidae), which have never before been recorded on this group of birds. The mite specimens presented in this paper were collected from birds-of-paradise that had been captured in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia in the years 1910-1911 and are now deposited in the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Munich, Germany. Two syringophilid species are described as new to science: (i) Picobia frankei sp. n. from the magnificent riflebird Lophorina magnifica, the glossy-mantled manucode Manucodia ater, and the crinkle-collared manucode Manucodia chalybatus, and (ii) Gunabopicobia garylarsoni sp. n. from the twelve-wired bird-of-paradise Seleucidis melanoleucus and the lesser bird-of-paradise Paradisaea minor. We hypothesise that the presence of both picobiine species on phylogenetically unrelated paradisaeids may be caused by the sexual behaviour of these birds, where interspecific copulations may play a role in the switching of parasites between non-closely related host species.

Global Studies of the Host-Parasite Relationships between Ectoparasitic Mites of the Family Syringophilidae and Birds of the Order Columbiformes.

The quill mites belonging to the family Syringophilidae (Acari: Prostigmata: Cheyletoidea) are obligate ectoparasites of birds. They inhabit different types of the quills, where they spend their whole life cycle. In this paper, we conducted a global study of syringophilid mites associated with columbiform birds. We examined 772 pigeon and dove individuals belonging to 112 species (35% world fauna) from all zoogeographical regions (except Madagascan) where Columbiformes occur. We measured the prevalence (IP) and the confidence interval (CI) for all infested host species. IP ranges between 4.2 and 66.7 (CI 0.2-100). We applied a bipartite analysis to determine host-parasite interaction, network indices, and host specificity on species and whole network levels. The Syringophilidae-Columbiformes network was composed of 25 mite species and 65 host species. The bipartite network was characterized by a high network level specialization H2' = 0.93, high nestedness N = 0.908, connectance C = 0.90, and high modularity Q = 0.83, with 20 modules. Moreover, we reconstructed the phylogeny of the quill mites associated with columbiform birds on the generic level. Analysis shows two distinct clades: Meitingsunes + Psittaciphilus, and Peristerophila + Terratosyringophilus.

The Occurrence of Quill Mites (Arachnida: Acariformes: Syringophilidae) on Bee-Eaters (Aves: Coraciiformes: Meropidae: Merops) of Two Sister Clades.

We studied the quill mite fauna of the family Syringophilidae, associated with bee-eaters. We examined 273 bird specimens belonging to nine closely related species of the genus Merops, representing two phylogenetic sister clades of a monophyletic group. Our examination reveals the presence of two species of the genus Peristerophila, as follows: (1) a new species Peristerophila mayri sp. n. from Merops viridis in the Philippines, M. leschenaulti in Nepal and Sri Lanka, and M. orientalis in Sri Lanka; and (2) P. meropis from M. superciliosus in Tanzania and Egypt, M. persicus in Sudan, Tanzania, Liberia, Senegal, Kenya, and D.R. Congo, M. ornatus in Papua New Guinea, M. philippinus in Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, and M. americanus in the Philippines. The prevalence of host infestations by syringophilid mites varied from 3.1 to 38.2%. The distribution of syringophilid mites corresponds with the sister clade phylogenetic relationships of the hosts, except for P. meropis associated with Merops americanus. Possible hypotheses for the host lineage shift are proposed.

New species and records of the quill mites of the genus Peristerophila Kethley, 1970 (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) associated with pigeons and doves (Aves: Columbiformes).

The fauna of the quill mite genus Peristerophila Kethley, 1970 (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) associated with pigeons and doves (Aves: Columbiformes) is reviewed. In our study, we examined 109 species of columbiform hosts of which 28 species belonging to nine genera were infested by Peristerophila mites. In the analyzed mite material, six species of this genus were found including two new species described herein: P. geopelis sp. nov. from Geopelia cuneata, G. placida, G. striata, as well as Ocyphaps lophotes and P. leucomela sp. nov. from Columba leucomela. Additionally, eighteen new host species and many new locality records for the previously described taxa are reported.

Quill mites of the family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Prostigmata) parasitizing coraciiform birds (Aves: Coraciiformes).

Three new species of the family Syringophilidae associated with birds of the pantropically distributed order Coraciiformes are described: two new species of the subfamily Picobiinae-Rafapicobia momoti sp. nov. ex the Rufous-capped Motmot Baryphthengus ruficapillus (Vieillot) (Momotidae) from Brazil, Rafapicobia brachypteraci sp. nov. ex the Rufous-headed Ground-Roller Atelornis crossleyi Sharpe (Brachypteraciidae) from Madagascar, and one new species of the subfamily Syringophilinae-Peristerophila coraciidus sp. nov. ex the Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis (Linnaeus) (Coraciidae) from Papua New Guinea. Additionally, the Collared Kingfisher, Todiramphus chloris (Boddaert) (Alcedinidae), is recorded as a new host for Peristerophila meropis Skoracki et al., 2017. In all these host families, syringophilids are recorded for the first time. Moreover, our findings represent the first records of picobiines from coraciiform birds. Currently, the fauna of quill mites associated with coraciiforms includes six species grouped in the three genera: Rafapicobia Skoracki, 2011, Peristerophila Kethley, 1970, and Syringophilopsis Kethley, 1970. All these genera seem to be typically telluravian and have been also recorded from passeriform birds.

Tanopicobia gen. nov., a new genus of quill mites, its phylogenetic placement in the subfamily Picobiinae (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) and picobiine relationships with avian hosts.

A new monotypic genus Tanopicobia gen. nov. is established for a new species Tanopicobia trachyphoni sp. nov., parasitizing Trachyphonus erythrocephalus Cabanis, 1878 (Piciformes: Lybiidae) from Tanzania. In phylogenetic analyses based on morphological data and constructed using the maximum parsimony approach, this taxon falls within the subfamily Picobiinae Johnston and Kethley, 1973 in the Neopicobia-species-group as closely related to the genus Pipicobia Glowska and Schmidt, 2014. Tanopicobia differs from Pipicobia by the following features in females: genital setae absent; setae ve are situated far and posteromedial to the level of setal bases vi; setae 3a are thick and knobbed. Additionally, a new generic key for subfamily Picobiinae is constructed and general host-parasite ecological and phylogenetic relationships are discussed. Picobiines are present in several lineages of neoavian birds, from basal Galloanseres to terminal Telluraves, which are infested by 70 (89.7% of all) species of these ectoparasites.

Quill mites of the family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Prostigmata) associated with Cockatoos (Psittaciformes: Cacatuidae).

Quill mites of the family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Cheyletoidea) parasitizing cockatoos (Psittaciformes: Cacatuidae) are reviewed. Three new species are described: Neoaulobia cacatui sp. nov. from the Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus funereus (type host) in Australia and the Palm Cockatoo Probosciger aterrimus in Papua New Guinea, Lawrencipicobia calyptorhyncha sp. nov. from the Glossy Black-cockatoo Calyptorhynchus lathami in Australia, and Lawrencipicobia sulphurea sp. nov. from the Yellow-crested cockatoo Cacatua sulphurea in Indonesia (West Timor).

Neoaulonastus sidorchukae, a new species of quill mites (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) associated with the purple-rumped sunbird Leptocoma zeylonica (Linnaeus) (Passeriformes: Nectariniidae) from Sri Lanka.

A new quill mite species, Neoaulonastus sidorchukae sp. nov. (Acariformes: Syringophilidae), is described from under-tail covert feathers of Leptocoma zeylonica (Linnaeus) (Passeriformes: Nectariniidae) from Sri Lanka. It is the second record of syringophilid mites of the genus Neoaulonastus parasitizing sunbirds.

First Record of Quill Mites (Acariformes: Syringophilidae: Picobiinae) Living in the Quill Walls of Parrots.

Quill mites (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) are a family of about 400 ectoparasite species known to infest birds for over 140 yr. All previously identified quill mites occur in the calamus, a cavity of the bird feather, where they spent their entire life except for a short dispersion period. In this study, we report the first record of quill mites dwelling in the quill walls during their entire life cycle. In short, we found all of the different life stages of the species Lawrencipicobia poicephali (Skoracki & Dabert 2002) (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) in the quill wall in 33 host individuals of six different host species from many different locations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Hosts were collected over a time period spanning more than 70 yr. Lastly, we report six new avian hosts for this ectoparasite species.

Cox1 barcoding versus multilocus species delimitation: validation of two mite species with contrasting effective population sizes.

BACKGROUND: The cox1-barcoding approach is currently extensively used for high-throughput species delimitation and discovery. However, this method has several limitations, particularly when organisms have large effective population sizes. Paradoxically, most common, abundant, and widely distributed species may be misclassified by this technique. RESULTS: We conducted species delimitation analyses for two host-specific lineages of scab mites of the genus Caparinia, having small population sizes. Cox1 divergence between these lineages was high (7.4-7.8%) while that of nuclear genes was low (0.06-0.53%). This system was contrasted with the medically important American house dust mite, Dermatophagoides farinae, a globally distributed species with very large population size. This species has two distinct, sympatric cox1 lineages with 4.2% divergence. We tested several species delimitation algorithms PTP, GMYC, ABGD, BPP, STACEY and PHRAPL, which inferred different species boundaries for these entities. Notably, STACEY recovered the Caparinia lineages as two species and D. farinae as a single species. BPP agreed with these results when the prior on ancestral effective population sizes was set to expected values, although delimitation of Caparinia was still equivocal. No other cox1 species delimitation algorithms inferred D. farinae as a single species, despite the fact that the nuclear CPW2 gene shows some evidence for introgression between the cox1 groups. This indicates that the cox1-barcoding approach may result in excessive species splitting. CONCLUSIONS: Our research highlights the importance of using nuclear genes and demographic characteristics to infer species boundaries rather than relying on a single-gene barcoding approach, particularly for putative species having large effective population sizes.

Validation of the status of a species with high CO1 and low nuclear genetic divergences: the scab mite Caparinia ictonyctis stat. res. (Acariformes: Psoroptidae) parasitizing the African hedgehog Atelerix albiventris.

We report two host-specific lineages of scab mites of the genus Caparinia, parasitizing European and African hedgehogs. Based on morphology, these mite lineages are closely related sister groups. The morphological differences, however, are subtle and do not provide clear-cut evidence for the existence of separate species. CO1 divergence between these lineages was 7.4-7.8%, well above the CO1 barcoding gaps or thresholds commonly used to separate species, whereas divergence of five nuclear genes was very low, 0.06-0.53%, suggesting that these lineages could belong to a single species with gene flow between them. Thus, there is a conflict between the mitochondrial (CO1) gene and nuclear genes (i.e mito-nuclear discordance). We attribute this conflict to the 'gray zone' where species delimitation is ambiguous due to substantial gene flow. We also report another 'gray zone' species, Psoroptes ovis (a species of veterinary importance), whose within-species CO1 distances reached 6.0%. We provide a detailed morphological description and figures of C. ictonyctis stat. res. from the African hedgehog, using light and SEM microscopy and give morphometric data for this species and its sister species, Caparinia tripilis from Europe. For all known species of Caparinia, we document their host associations and give a key to species of the world based on results of our morphological and molecular analyses and a nearly exhaustive study of museum specimens.

Peristerophila falcophila sp. nov., a new species and first record of quill mites (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) parasitizing birds of the order Falconiformes.

A new species, Peristerophila falcophila Skoracki and Hromada sp. nov. is described from three avian hosts of the genus Falco: F. peregrinus Tunstall, 1771 from Kenya, Germany and Nepal, F. cherrug Gray, 1834 from Romania, and F. sparverius Linnaeus, 1758 from Colombia. This new species differs from closely related Peristerophila accipitridicus Skoracki et al. 2010 as follow: the propodonotal shield is reduced in the posterior part, but not divided into three separate shield (vs. divided into three punctate and saber-like sclerites in P. accipitridicus); the length ratio of setae ve:si is 1:1.6-1.8 (vs. 1:2-2.8); fan-like setae p' and p" of legs III and IV are with 10 tines (vs. 19-20); and the length of setae e2 is 145-155 (vs. 185-215). Additionally, the key to all species of the genus Peristerophila is constructed and the host-parasite relationships are briefly discussed.

Niglarobia vanelli, a new species of syringophilid quill mite associated with lapwings (Charadriiformes: Charadriidae).

A new species of quill mite of the family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Prostigmata), Niglarobia vanelli sp. nov. collected from eight species of the lapwing genus Vanellus (Charadriiformes: Charadriidae), is described: V. vanellus (Linnaeus, 1758) (type host) from Germany, V. gregarius (Pallas, 1771) from Russia, V. senegallus (Linnaeus, 1766), V. albiceps Gould, 1834, V. spinosus (Linnaeus, 1758), V. crassirostris (Hartlaub, 1855), V. lugubris (Lesson, 1826), and V. coronatus (Boddaert, 1783) all from Tanzania. This new species resembles N. cursoriae Skoracki et al., 2006 and differs by having the following features: in females of N. vanelli sp. nov., each medial branch of the peritremes has 3-4 chambers (vs 2 chambers in N. cursoriae); the hysteronotal shield is not fused to the pygidial shield (vs fused); lengths of setae d2 and e2 are 55-65 and 95-120, respectively (vs 115- 140 and 130-160); and setae p' and p" of legs III and IV have 4-6 tines (vs 7 tines).

Two new quill mite species of the genus Psittaciphilus Fain, Bochkov & Mironov, 2000 (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) associated with pigeons and doves (Columbiformes: Columbidae).

Two new quill mite species of the genus Psittaciphilus Fain, Bochkov & Mironov, 2000 (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) collected from columbiform birds (Columbiformes) are described: Psittaciphilus montanus n. sp. form the ruddy quail-dove Geotrygon montana Gosse from Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil and Panama, and Psittaciphilus patagioenas n. sp. from the band-tailed pigeon Patagioenas fasciata (Say) from Colombia and the scaled pigeon Patagioenas speciosa (Gmelin) from Surinam. A key to the species of the genus Psittaciphilus is provided. Our finding is the first record of the representatives of this genus on columbiform birds.