Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 1719 No. 1: 5 Mar. 2008
Type: Article
Published: 2008-03-05
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1719.1.2
Page range: 41–52
Abstract views: 212
PDF downloaded: 141

Glaucalges tytonis sp. n. (Analgoidea, Xolalgidae) from the barn owl Tyto alba (Strigiformes, Tytonidae): compiling morphology with DNA barcode data for taxon descriptions in mites (Acari)

Department of Animal Morphology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznan, Poland
Institute of Nature Conservation and Environmental Education, University of Vechta, D-49377 Vechta, Germany
Molecular Biology Techniques Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznan, Poland
Acari cryptic species DNA barcoding COI molecular taxonomy morphological description new species

Abstract

Typical (re)descriptions of feather mite species are based on characteristics of external morphology and of internal sclerotized structures visible in cleared specimens. We propose extending this standard by including sequence data of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene fragment (DNA barcode region chosen by the Consortium for the Barcode of Life). We describe a method of nondestructive DNA isolation, which leaves the feather mite exoskeleton intact for subsequent morphological analysis. Description of a new feather mite species Glaucalges tytonis (Analgoidea, Xolalgidae) from the plumage of the barn owl Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769) (Strigiformes, Tytonidae) is presented as an example of the new procedure that may be implemented both for feather mites as well as for other groups of Acari.

References

  1. Atyeo, W.T. & Philips, J.R. (1984) The feather mite genus Neopetitota (Pterolichoidea: Kramerellidae). Journal of Medical Entomology, 21, 409–411.

    Badek, A. & Dabert, J. (2005) A new species of the genus Avenzoaria Oudemans, 1905 (Acari: Avenzoariidae) from the red knot, Calidris canutus (L.) (Aves, Charadriiformes). Entomologische Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum Hamburg, 14(171), 237–243.

    Badek, A. & Dabert, J. (2006) The possible hybrid origin of the feather mite Avenzoaria canuti (Astigmata: Analgoidea) from the Red Knot Calidris canutus (Aves: Charadriiformes) - a morphological approach. Biological Letters, 43, 119–130.

    Buchholz, R., (1869) Bemerkungen über die Arten der Gattung Dermaleichus Koch. Dresden, 56 pp + 7 pls.

    Černý, V. (1967) Catálogo de la fauna Cubana–XX–Lista de los ácaros parásitos de aves reportadas de Cuba. Museo "Felipe Poey" de la Academia de Ciencias de Cuba, Trabajos de Divulgación, (45), 1–23.

    Dabert, J. (2005) Feather mites (Astigmata; Pterolichoidea, Analgoidea) and birds as models for cophylogenetic studies. Phytophaga, 14, 409–424.

    Dabert, J. & Mironov, S.V. (1999) Origin and evolution of feather mites (Astigmata). Experimental and Applied Acarology, 23, 437–454.

    Dabert, M., Solarczyk, P., Badek, A. & Dabert, J. (2005) Taxonomic status of the oligoxenous feather mite species: are we dealing with species in statu nascendi? Phytophaga, 14, 425–431.

    Eichler, W. (1938) Die Parasiten der Vögel. In: Niethhammer, G. (Ed.), Handbuch der deutschen Vogelkunde. Vol. 2. Pici, Macrochires, Upupae, Meropes, Halcyones, Coraciae, Caprimulgi, Striges, Cuculi, Accipitres, Gressores, Phoenicopteri, Steganopodes, Anseres. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft M.B.H, Leipzig, pp. 1–545.

    Evans, G.O. (1992). Principles of acarology. CAB International, Wallingford, 563 pp.

    Gaud, J. (1958) Acariens plumicoles (Analgesoidea) parasites des oiseaux du Maroc. II. Analgesidae. Bulletin de la Société de Sciences naturelles et physiques du Maroc, 38, 27–49.

    Gaud, J. (1980) Acariens sarcoptiformes plumicoles parasites sur les oiseaux Psittaciformes, Strigiformes et Caprimulgiformes en Afrique. Annales du Musée royale de l’Afrique centrale, Séin-8º, Sci. zool., 230, 1–106.

    Gaud, J. & Atyeo, W.T. (1981) La famille Xolalgidae, Dubinin, nouveau statut (Sarcoptiformes plumicoles, Analgoidea) I. Sous-famille Ingrassiinae, n. sub. fam. Acarologia, 22, 63–79.

    Gaud, J. & Atyeo, W.T. (1996) Feather mites of the world (Acarina, Astigmata): The supraspecific taxa. Annales du Musée royale de l'Afrique centrale, Série in-80, Sciences zoologiques, 277, (Part I, Text) 1–193, (Part II, Illustrations of feather mite taxa) 1–436.

    Gaud, J. & Mouchet, J. (1959) Acariens plumicoles (Analgesoidea) parasites des oiseaux du Cameroun II. Analgesidae. Annales de parasitologie humaine et comparée, 34, 149–208.

    Gaud, J. & Petitot, M.L. (1948) Sarcoptides plumicoles des oiseaux du Maroc. Annales de parasitologie humaine et comparée, 23, 35–46.

    Gaud, J. & Till, W.M. (1961) Suborder Sarcoptiformes. In: Zumpt, F. (Ed.). The arthropod parasites of vertebrates in Africa south of the Sahara (Ethiopian Region), Publications of the South African Institute of Medical Research, Johannesburg, II(L), pp. 180–352.

    Hebert, P.D., Cywinska, A., Ball, S.L. & de Waard, J.R. (2003) Biological identifications through DNA barcodes. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B–Biological Sciences, 270, 313–321.

    Kimura, M. (1980) A simple method for estimating evolutionary rate of base substitutions through comparative studies of nucleotide sequences. Journal of Molecular Evolution, 16, 111–120.

    Kumar, S., Tamura, K. & Nei, M. (2004) MEGA3: Integrated software for Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis and sequence alignment. Briefings in Bioinformatics, 5, 150–163.

    Lönnfors, F. (1937) Zur Kenntnis der auf den Eulen in Finnland lebenden Analginen. Acta Societatis pro Fauna et Flora Fennica, 60, 392–397.

    McClure, H.E. & Ratanaworabhan, N. (1973) Some ectoparasites of the birds of Asia. Jintana Printing Ltd., Bangkok, 219 pp.

    Mumcuoglu, Y. & Müller, R. (1974) Parasitische Milben und Würmer als Todesursache eines Uhus Bubo bubo. Ornithologischer Beobachter, 71, 289–292.

    Nicholas, K.B. & Nicholas, H.B.Jr (1997) GeneDoc: a tool for editing and annotating multiple sequence alignments. Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center's National Resource for Biomedical Supercomputing. Available from http://www.nrbsc.org/downloads/ (accessed 2 March 2007, ver. 2.7.000)

    Philips, J.R. (2007) Mites and raptors. Babson College, Babson Park, MA. Available from http://raptormites.babson.edu/ (accessed 29 November 2007)

    Proctor, H.C. (2003) Feather mites (Acari: Astigmata): Ecology, behavior, and evolution. Annual Review of Entomology, 48, 185–209.

    Rothschild, M. & Clay, T. (1952) Fleas, flukes and cuckoos: a study of bird parasites, 3rd ed. Collins, London, 304 pp.

    Sibley, C.G. & Monroe, B.L.Jr. (1990) Distribution and taxonomy of birds of the world. Yale University Press, New Haven, 1135 pp.

    Waugh, J. (2007) DNA barcoding in animal species: progress, potential and pitfalls. BioEssays, 29, 188–197.