Phoretic mites identified on andean hummingbirds (Trochilidae) of Caldas, Colombia

Abstract

Within the bird-plant-mite system, the relationship between hummingbirds, flowers, and mites remains poorly understood. In this study, we evaluated the degree of association between nasal mites and eight species of Andean hummingbirds in Colombia (Amazilia saucerrottei, A. tzacatl, Chalybura buffonii, Chlorostilbon mellisugus, Florisuga mellivora, Glaucis hirsutus, Phaethornis guy and P. striigularis). Over a five-month period (trapping effort 360 hours/month), a total of 178 birds were captured, from which 81 mite specimens were collected and identified as belonging to three genera (Proctolaelaps, Rhinoseius and Tropicoseius) spanning eleven species. This is the first report of its kind from Colombia on the identification of the mite species P. rabulatus, R. luteyni, R. rafinskii, T. berryi, T. colwelli, T. erro and T. uniformis and the first record of P. guy as phoretic host for Proctolaelaps rabulatus. Morphological characteristics (length of the dorsal plate, width of the dorsal plate and setae z5 length) alone failed to distinguish between mite species. The ecologic impact of this relationship on flowers with respect to nectar and pollen availability and the effect of mites on pollination by hummingbirds needs to be determined.

Phoretic mites (Rhinoseius spp.) in Apodiformes from Cerrado and Pantanal Biomes in midwestern Brazil

“…There are reports of the Rhinoseius spp. being found in hummingbirds from Colombia (Fain and Hyland, 1980;Ohmer et al, 1991;López-Orozco and Cañon-Franco, 2013), Costa Rica (Hunter, 1972), Ecuador (Micherdzinski and Lukoschus, 1980), United States of America (Colwell and Naeem, 1979), Mexico (Hyland et al, 1978), Panama (Fain et al, 1977), Trinidad and Tobago (Fain et al,1977), Venezuela (Fain et al, 1977;Micherdzinski and Lukoschus, 1980), and also in Brazil (Fain et al, 1977;Flechtmann and Johnston, 1978). However, this is the first report of Rhinoseius spp.…”

“…Nasal mites have been reported in several hummingbird species (Apodiformes) from Latin America (Baker and Yunker, 1964;Dusbabek and Cerny, 1970;Hunter, 1972;Fain et al, 1977;Hyland et al, 1978;Colwell and Naeem, 1979;Fain and Hyland, 1980;Micherdzinski and Lukoschus, 1980;O'Connor et al, 1991;Ohmer et al, 1991;Naskrecki and Colwell, 1998;Dusbabek et al, 2007;López-Orozco and Cañon-Franco, 2013). The reports include a description of infestation of many Mesostigmata mites species, in general, in hummingbirds from Brazil and birds also (De-Castro, 1948;Pereira and De-Castro, 1949;Amaral, 1968;Amaral and Rebouças, 1974;Mascarenhas et al, 2011;Bernardon et al, 2013;Mendes et al, 2014).…”