Sikora Bozena, Kosicki Jakub Z, Patan Milena, Marcisova Iva, Hromada Martin, Skoracki Maciej
Department of Animal Morphology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
Department of Avian Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
Animals (Basel). 2024 Aug 29;14(17):2517. doi: 10.3390/ani14172517.
The subfamily Picobiinae (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) comprises obligate and permanent parasites of birds found exclusively in the quills of contour feathers. We studied associations of picobiine mites with birds of the family Sturnidae (Aves: Passeriformes) across the Palaearctic, Afrotropical, Oriental, and Oceanian zoogeographical regions. Among the 414 examined bird individuals belonging to 44 species (35.2% of all sturnids), 103 individuals from 24 species (54.5% of examined species) were parasitised by quill mites. The diversity of mites was represented by five species, including one newly described, Patan and Skoracki sp. n. Statistical analysis of the Picobiinae-Sturnidae bipartite network demonstrated a low connectance value (Con = 0.20) and high modularity, with significant differences in the H' specialisation index compared to null model values. The network structure, characterised by four distinct modules, highlighted the specificity and limited host range of the Picobiinae-Sturnidae associations. The distribution of species among starlings was congruent with the phylogeny of their hosts, with different mites parasitising specific clades of starlings. Additionally, the findings suggest that the social and breeding behaviours of starlings influence quite a high prevalence. Finally, our studies support the validity of museum collections to study these parasitic interactions.
皮氏螨亚科（真螨目：羽管螨科）由专性永久寄生鸟类的寄生虫组成，仅见于廓羽的羽管中。我们研究了古北界、 Afrotropical、东洋界和大洋洲动物地理区域内羽管螨与椋鸟科（雀形目：鸟类）鸟类之间的关联。在属于44个物种的414只被检查鸟类个体中（占所有椋鸟科鸟类的35.2%），来自24个物种的103只个体（占被检查物种的54.5%）被羽管螨寄生。螨类的多样性由五个物种代表，包括一个新描述的物种，Patan和Skoracki新种。对皮氏螨亚科 - 椋鸟科二分网络的统计分析表明，连接值较低（Con = 0.20）且模块性较高，与空模型值相比，H'专业化指数存在显著差异。以四个不同模块为特征的网络结构突出了皮氏螨亚科 - 椋鸟科关联的特异性和有限宿主范围。椋鸟中物种的分布与其宿主的系统发育一致，不同的螨类寄生于特定的椋鸟进化枝。此外，研究结果表明椋鸟的社会和繁殖行为影响了相当高的感染率。最后，我们的研究支持了利用博物馆藏品研究这些寄生相互作用的有效性。
