Anderson Denis L, Morgan Mathew J
CSIRO Entomology, P.O. Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
Exp Appl Acarol. 2007;43(1):1-24. doi: 10.1007/s10493-007-9103-0. Epub 2007 Sep 9.
Mites in the genus Tropilaelaps are parasites of social honeybees. Two species, Tropilaelaps clareae and T. koenigerum, have been recorded and their primary hosts are presumed to be the giant honeybees of Asia, Apis dorsata and A. laboriosa. The most common species, T. clareae, is also an economically important pest of the introduced Western honeybee (A. mellifera) throughout Asia and is considered an emerging threat to world apiculture. In the studies reported here, genetic (mtDNA CO-I and nuclear ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 gene sequence) and morphological variation and host associations were examined among Tropilaelaps isolates collected from A. dorsata, A. laboriosa and A. mellifera throughout Asia and neighbouring regions. The results clearly indicate that the genus contains at least four species. Tropilaelaps clareae, previously assumed to be ubiquitous in Asia, was found to be two species, and it is here redefined as encompassing haplotypes (mites with distinct mtDNA gene sequences) that parasitise native A. dorsata breviligula and introduced A. mellifera in the Philippines and also native A. d. binghami on Sulawesi Island in Indonesia. Tropilaelaps mercedesae n. sp., which until now has been mistaken for T. clareae, encompasses haplotypes that, together with haplotypes of T. koenigerum, parasitise native A. d. dorsata in mainland Asia and Indonesia (except Sulawesi Island). It also parasitises introduced A. mellifera in these and surrounding regions and, with another new species, T. thaii n. sp., also parasitises A. laboriosa in mountainous Himalayan regions. Methods are described for identifying each species. These studies help to clarify the emerging threat of Tropilaelaps to world apiculture and will necessitate a revision of quarantine protocols for countries that import and export honeybees.
小蜂螨属的螨类是群居蜜蜂的寄生虫。已记录到两种，即克莱氏小蜂螨（Tropilaelaps clareae）和科氏小蜂螨（T. koenigerum），其主要宿主据推测是亚洲的大蜜蜂，即黑大蜜蜂（Apis dorsata）和喜马拉雅排蜂（A. laboriosa）。最常见的物种克莱氏小蜂螨，也是亚洲各地引进的西方蜜蜂（意大利蜜蜂，Apis mellifera）的一种具有经济重要性的害虫，被认为是对世界养蜂业的一种新出现的威胁。在本文报道的研究中，对从亚洲及周边地区的黑大蜜蜂、喜马拉雅排蜂和意大利蜜蜂中采集的小蜂螨分离株进行了遗传（线粒体DNA细胞色素氧化酶亚基I，mtDNA CO-I，以及核糖体DNA内转录间隔区1-5.8S-内转录间隔区2，nuclear ITS1-5.8S-ITS2基因序列）、形态变异和宿主关联研究。结果清楚地表明，该属至少包含四个物种。克莱氏小蜂螨以前被认为在亚洲无处不在，现在发现是两个物种，在此重新定义为包括寄生于菲律宾本地的短舌黑大蜜蜂（Apis dorsata breviligula）和引进的意大利蜜蜂，以及印度尼西亚苏拉威西岛本地的印尼黑大蜜蜂（Apis d. binghami）的单倍型（具有不同线粒体DNA基因序列的螨）。梅氏小蜂螨（Tropilaelaps mercedesae）新种，此前一直被误认为是克莱氏小蜂螨，其单倍型与科氏小蜂螨的单倍型一起，寄生于亚洲大陆和印度尼西亚（苏拉威西岛除外）的本地黑大蜜蜂（Apis d. dorsata）。它也寄生于这些地区及周边地区引进的意大利蜜蜂，并且与另一个新物种泰国小蜂螨（T. thaii）新种一起，还寄生于喜马拉雅山区的喜马拉雅排蜂。文中描述了鉴定每个物种的方法。这些研究有助于阐明小蜂螨对世界养蜂业新出现的威胁，并将有必要对进出口蜜蜂的国家的检疫协议进行修订。
