Shaw Matthew D
Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072.; Email:
Zootaxa. 2014 Oct 24;3878(3):261-90. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.3878.3.3.
As part of a survey of mammal and bird nests, new species, new male stages, and some feeding observations have been collected from what was formerly called the Androlaelaps ulysses group. As many features of this group are consistently different from Androlaelaps, and also from Haemolaelaps where it was formerly placed, this group is here elevated to Ulyxes new genus, and U. autolycus, U. euryclea, and U. theoclymenus are described as new species. This genus has a broad range of feeding behaviour spanning intranasal parasitism, nidicolous parasitism, and at least one species is a nidicolous predator. Its host range is broad; two new species are shown here to cohabit with parrots while most remaining species associate with mammals. In contrast to the variation in feeding behaviour, Ulyxes spp are associated with a narrow range of nest types, being confined to arboreal nests, usually tree hollows (rarely fallen logs), and on the parrot or mammal hosts that use them. Ulyxes spp show a remarkable variability in male cheliceral development, which assorts according to feeding behaviour. There is a strong contrast between male chelicerae of predatory and parasitic species that has not been previously observed in such a compact dermanyssine genus. Previously male cheliceral morphology was thought to be conservative enough to provide diagnostic characters at suprageneric rank. For systematics, these findings complicate previous attempts to recognise male mouthparts as reliable features marking higher-level natural groups that include dermanyssoid vertebrate parasites. For evolutionary studies, this may be relevant in seeking examples of transitions to, or away from, parasitism.
作为一项关于哺乳动物和鸟类巢穴的调查的一部分，我们从以前被称为尤利西斯安德罗血厉螨组中收集到了新物种、新的雄性阶段以及一些取食观察结果。由于该组的许多特征与安德罗血厉螨以及它以前所在的血厉螨属一直存在差异，因此该组在此被提升为新属尤利西斯属，并将尤利西斯自食者、尤利西斯欧律克勒亚和尤利西斯忒俄克吕墨诺斯描述为新物种。该属具有广泛的取食行为，包括鼻内寄生、巢寄生，并且至少有一个物种是巢内捕食者。其宿主范围很广；这里显示有两个新物种与鹦鹉共栖，而其余大多数物种与哺乳动物相关联。与取食行为的变化形成对比的是，尤利西斯属物种与范围狭窄的巢穴类型相关，仅限于树栖巢穴，通常是树洞（很少是倒下的原木），以及使用这些巢穴的鹦鹉或哺乳动物宿主。尤利西斯属物种在雄性螯肢发育方面表现出显著的变异性，这种变异性与取食行为相关。捕食性和寄生性物种的雄性螯肢之间存在强烈对比，这在如此紧凑的皮刺螨属中以前未曾观察到。以前，雄性螯肢形态被认为足够保守，可以提供超属等级上的诊断特征。对于系统学而言，这些发现使以前将雄性口器视为标记包括皮刺螨类脊椎动物寄生虫在内的高级自然类群的可靠特征的尝试变得复杂。对于进化研究而言，这可能与寻找向寄生或远离寄生转变的例子相关。
