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

Abstract

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.

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

“…This genus boasts the broadest host spectrum among all known syringophilid genera. It includes 14 species and uniquely inhabits not only parrots but also hawks (Accipitriformes), falcons (Falconiformes), pigeons and doves (Columbiformes), hoopoes (Bucerotiformes) and bee-eaters (Coraciiformes) (Casto, 1976;Skoracki et al, 2010Skoracki et al, , 2017Skoracki et al, , 2020Skoracki et al, , 2021Kaszewska et al, 2020). The Peristerophila fauna associated with parrots includes 3 species noted on representatives of the parrot families Psittaculidae, Psittacidae and Strigopidae.…”

Host-Parasite Relationships of Quill Mites (Syringophilidae) and Parrots (Psittaciformes)

“…The studies on the infestation of the host populations were provided on bird material originated from various sources: (i) from the ornithological collection (dry bird skins, frozen or alcohol preserved specimens) deposited in the museum or other scientific institutions [26,27,[29][30][31]114,120]; (ii) from birds examined during fieldworks [24,109,113,114], and (iii) from birds kept in the zoological gardens [119] or farms [23,116,121,122]. Considering that not every feather on the host is infected (see [25,27]), it is important that the analyzed host sample, apart from the sufficiently large number of tested specimens, also includes the largest possible number of examined feathers, or all, if we want to know the border of the habitat.…”

“…Although most of the work on the family deals with the morphology and systematics of these mites, recent studies focused on the non-taxonomical aspects, e.g., on anatomy [15][16][17][18], sexual selection [19], phylogeny [20][21][22], ecology [14,[23][24][25][26][27]; and host-parasite relationships [22,[28][29][30]. There are also an increasing number of papers with studies on trophic relationships in the host-parasite systems based on bipartite networks and some indices (e.g., nestedness, modularity, connectance).…”

The Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Behaviour of Mites

“…In this Special Issue, the coevolutionary associations between mites and their hosts are explored through several studies [1][2][3][4][5], providing insights into the host-parasite relationship, phylogeny, and host specificity of mites. For instance, the discovery of a new scale-mite species from Robert's Tree Iguana [1] not only enriches the taxonomic diversity of mites but also provides novel insights into the phylogenetic relationships within the Pterygosomatidae family.…”

“…For instance, the discovery of a new scale-mite species from Robert's Tree Iguana [1] not only enriches the taxonomic diversity of mites but also provides novel insights into the phylogenetic relationships within the Pterygosomatidae family. Similarly, the discovery of Tinamiphilopsis temmincki on the Tataupa Tinamou [2] contributes to the understanding of syringophilid mites' evolutionary history and host-parasite dynamics, challenging assumptions about host specificity and evolutionary pathways. Research on Demodex in the mouflon [3] expands our comprehension of host-parasite relationships by shedding light on the evolutionary history and ecological interactions of these skin mites in wild populations.…”