Geographic Distribution and Diversity of Animal Parasitic Mites

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Biogeography and Macroecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 2005

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, Gdańsk, Poland
Interests: acarology; parasitology; taxonomy; host–parasite interactions; communities of vertebrate parasites; parasitic mites; skin mites; ectoparasites; medical and veterinary parasitology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, Gdańsk, Poland
Interests: animal parasitology; taxonomy; diversity and ecology of parasites; alien and invasive parasites; applied parasitology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mites are a group of arachnids with a wide range of occurrence, both geographically and ecologically. The group includes a large number of parasites with different ranges of host specificity (from generalists to specialists) and a diverse nature of host relationships, ranging from ectoparasites to meso- and endoparasites. Many groups are poorly understood—there is a lack of basic information about species diversity and phylogenetic relationships, the host circle, adaptations to parasitism, life cycles and functioning in ecosystems, and geographic distribution; many species are known from only single records. Collecting more comprehensive data on parasitic mites from the fields of taxonomy, systematics, phylogeny, biology, ecology, and biogeography will provide a better understanding of the complex interactions in host–parasite relationships, and more accurate identification of the mechanisms and patterns of parasitic invasions. This is particularly important in the context of parasites of medical and veterinary importance, as it will improve methods of diagnosis and prevention. However, it is also essential to understand the mechanisms and models of parasitic mite infestation in wild animals,  to evaluate the impact of these parasites on hosts, and to monitor trends resulting from progressive environmental changes, both locally and globally.

Dr. Joanna N. Izdebska
Dr. Leszek Rolbiecki
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • animal parasitic mites
  • pathogenic mites
  • taxonomy, new taxa, and systematics
  • phylogeny
  • ecology
  • distribution, biodiversity, and regional diversity
  • host–parasite interaction

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

38 pages, 4882 KiB  
Article
Host-Parasite Relationships of Quill Mites (Syringophilidae) and Parrots (Psittaciformes)
by Natalia Marciniak-Musial, Maciej Skoracki, Jakub Z. Kosicki, Markus Unsöld and Bozena Sikora
Diversity 2023, 15(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15010001 - 20 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1447
Abstract
The family Syringophilidae (Acari: Prostigmata) includes obligatory ectoparasites, which occupy feather quills from various parts of avian plumage, where they feed and reproduce. Our study was concerned with the global fauna of syringophilid mites associated with Psittaciformes, as well as host-parasite specificity and [...] Read more.
The family Syringophilidae (Acari: Prostigmata) includes obligatory ectoparasites, which occupy feather quills from various parts of avian plumage, where they feed and reproduce. Our study was concerned with the global fauna of syringophilid mites associated with Psittaciformes, as well as host-parasite specificity and evolution. We assumed that the system composed of quill mites and parrots represents a model group that can be used in a broader study of the relationships between parasites and hosts. In total, we examined 1524 host individuals of parrots belonging to 195 species, 73 genera, and 4 families (which constitute ca. 50% of global parrot fauna) from all zoogeographical regions where Psittaciformes occur. Among them, 89 individuals representing 81 species have been infested by quill mites belonging to 45 species and 8 genera. The prevalence of host infestations by syringophilid mites varied from 2.8% to 100% (95% confidence interval (CI Sterne method) = 0.1–100). We applied a bipartite analysis to determine the parasite-host interaction, network indices, and host specificity at the species and whole network levels. The Syringophilidae-Psittaciformes network was composed of 24 mite species and 47 host species. The bipartite network was characterized by a high network level specialization H2′ = 0.98, connectance C = 0.89, and high modularity Q = 0.90, with 23 modules, but low nestedness N = 0.0333. Moreover, we reconstructed the phylogeny of the quill mites on the generic level, and this analysis shows two distinct clades: Psittaciphilus (Peristerophila + Terratosyringophilus) (among Syringophilinae subfamily) and Lawrencipicobia (Pipicobia + Rafapicobia) (among Picobiinae). Finally, the distributions and host-parasite relationships in the system composed of syringophilid mites and parrots are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geographic Distribution and Diversity of Animal Parasitic Mites)
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