Nordic bird mite
| Nordic bird mite | ||||||||||||
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Nordic bird mite ( Ornithonyssus sylviarum ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ornithonyssus sylviarum | ||||||||||||
| ( Canestrini & Fanzago , 1877) |
The Nordic bird mite ( Ornithonyssus sylviarum ) is a blood-sucking ectoparasite of wild and human-kept bird species. The name was chosen to differentiate it from the very similar tropical bird mite Ornithonyssus bursa , which belongs to the same genus.
features
The mites are approximately 534–817 × 267–500 micrometers in size (sexually mature females). They are sober white-gray. After a meal of blood, they appear bright red through translucent blood in the intestines. As is typical of mites, the body of the Nordic bird mite consists of two sections, the larger idiosoma that supports the four pairs of legs and the smaller gnathosoma that sits between the front hips and supports the mouthparts. The idiosoma of the species is elongated oval and predominantly flexible and softly sclerotic. Harder sclerotized plates (sclerites or shields) are embedded in this soft, elastic integument. Ornithonyssus species have a dorsal shield on top that covers most of the body. Three smaller shields (sternal, genital, anal shield) sit one behind the other on the abdomen. The dorsal shield is elongated oval and narrowed when drawn out to the rear, the rear end is then truncated in a straight line.
In the mouthparts, the chelicerae are elongated in the shape of a stiletto, they serve as piercing bristles to pierce the host's skin during the blood meal. At its front end a small but clearly recognizable pair of scissors ( chela ) can be seen, which, as usual, consist of a fixed and a movable scissor finger.
The red mite ( Dermanyssus gallinae ) can be distinguished in this way: it has differently shaped dorsal and genital shields, and the scissor link on the chelicerae in Dermanyssus is much smaller and hardly recognizable. Differentiating it from other Ornithonyssus species is difficult and only possible after bristling.
Life cycle
In contrast to the red poultry mite, the species spends its entire life cycle on the host. The eggs are laid in egg masses at the base of the feathers. A six-legged larva hatches from them. After molting, two eight-legged nymph stages are passed through, the second of which molts to become a sexually mature adult animal. All stages, from egg to oviposition, are completed in 5 to 12 days. Only the adult animal and the first nymph stage (protonymph) suck blood, the other stages take no food. The protonymphe sucks twice before molting. The females suckle multiple times before laying eggs. The mite can survive away from the host for about a week. Some adults and nymphs leave the host voluntarily in search of new hosts. Direct body contact is therefore not absolutely necessary for an infection.
Ecology and way of life
The Nordic poultry mite is not very host specific. A large number of wild bird species from numerous orders have been described as hosts. The infestation of poultry, especially domestic chickens , is of particular economic importance . Ornamental birds are also attacked. The species occurs almost worldwide, but is replaced by the related tropical bird mite Ornithonyssus bursa in warmer climates ; this is occasionally introduced to Central Europe.
Taxonomy
The genus Ornithonyssus comprises 28 species. Four of them were found in Central Europe. In addition to Ornithonyssus sylviarum and bursa , these are Ornithonyssus pipistrelli , a bat parasite, and Ornithonyssus bacoti , the tropical rat mite . This parasitizes on mammalian species, especially rodents, and is not infrequently synanthropic . The Nordic bird mite also occasionally occurs on rodents, but these are false hosts for them .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Antonella Di Palma, Annunziata Giangaspero, Maria Assunta Cafiero, Giacinto S. Germinara (2012): A gallery of the key characters to ease identification of Dermanyssus gallinae (Acari: Gamasida: Dermanyssidae) and allow differentiation from Ornithonyssus sylviarum. (Acari: Gamasida: Macronyssidae). Parasites & Vectors 5: 104-114. open access
- ^ Richard C. Axtell (1999): Poultry integrated pest management: Status and future. Integrated Pest Management Reviews 4: 53-73.
- ^ RC Axtell & JJ Arends (1990): Ecology and management of arthropod pests of poultry. Annual Revue of Entomology 35: 101-126.
- ↑ Birgit Habedank (2002): The tropical rat mite Ornithonyssus bacoti and other predatory mites - rare parasites of humans in Central Europe. Denisia 6, New Series No. 184: 447-460.