Introduction

The family Strigopidae (Psittaciformes) consists of species endemic to New Zealand grouped into two genera: Nestor (with 2 species) and Strigops (1) (Clements et al. 2018). All three species have suffered a substantial and chronic population decline and range shrinkage; both Kea (Nestor notabilis) and Kaka (Nestor meridionalis) are classified as endangered and Kakapo (Strigops habroptila) as critically endangered (Collar et al. 2019). Unfortunately, mite symbionts permanently associated with New Zealand parrots, which are ecologically extremely interesting due their very long oceanic isolation and unique phylogenetic history, are poorly examined. To date, only a few species of feather mites (Acariformes: Astigmata) have been noted (Bishop and Heath 1998; Mironov et al. 2017), whereas the parasitic prostigmatan mite fauna (Acariformes: Prostigmata) still remained unknown (see Skoracki et al. 2012).

Syringophilid mites are permanent and highly specialised ectoparasites of birds. All species of this family live and reproduce in feather quills (Kethley 1970, 1971). These mites feed on the live tissue of their hosts by piercing the fibrous wall of the calamus with the long, styletiform mobile digits of the chelicerae (Casto 1974; Kethley 1971). Currently, about 400 species are described from 737 bird species belonging to 26 orders (Zmudzinski and Skoracki 2018).

The genus Peristerophila comprises morphologically uniform mites inhabiting quills of primaries, secondaries, tertiaries, primary and secondary coverts, rectrices and contour feathers (Skoracki 2011; Skoracki et al. 2018). Up to now, five species described in this genus have been reported from birds belonging to four orders: Columbiformes, Accipitriformes, Coraciiformes, and Falconiformes from Holarctic, Afrotropical, Neotropical, Oriental, Oceanian, and Saharo-Arabian regions (Skoracki et al. 2010; Skoracki 2011; Kaszewska et al. 2014; Klimovicova et al. 2014; Zmudzinski et al. 2015; Skoracki et al. 2018).

In this paper, we describe a new species, Peristerophila nestoriae sp. nov., the representative of the family Syringophilidae (Prostigmata: Cheyletoidea), collected from the New Zealand Kaka N. meridionalis (Gmelin). Our finding is the first record of the presence of a syringophilid mite from hosts of the family Strigopidae, the first report of the member of Peristerophila on psittaciform birds, and the first record of the family Syringophilidae from New Zealand. Considering that the syringophilid fauna of New Zealand was unstudied to this time, and that these mites are considered to be potential vectors of various avian diseases (Skoracki et al. 2006), the systematics and ecology of syringophilids in New Zealand demands further study.

Material and methods

Mites described herein as new to science have been collected from dry bird skins housed in the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Munich, Germany according to the methodology presented in Skoracki (2011). Identifications and drawings of mite specimens were carried out with a ZEISS Axioscope light microscope (Carl-Zeiss AG, Germany), equipped with DIC optics and a camera lucida. In the descriptions below, the idiosomal chaetotaxy follows Grandjean (1939) as adapted for Prostigmata by Kethley (1990). The nomenclature of leg setae follows that proposed by Grandjean (1944). Morphological terminology follows Skoracki (2011). All measurements are in micrometers. Measurement ranges of paratypes are given in parentheses following data for a holotype.

Specimen depositories and reference numbers are given using the following abbreviations: AMU–Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Department of Animal Morphology, Poznan, Poland; ZSM–Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Munich, Germany.

Results

Family Syringophilidae Lavoipierre, 1953

Subfamily Syringophilinae Lavoipierre, 1953

Genus Peristerophila Kethley, 1970

Peristerophila nestoriae sp. nov.

Description

Female, holotype. Total body length 560 (530–605 in six paratypes). Gnathosoma. Infracapitulum sparsely punctate. Stylophore rounded posteriorly, 135 (130–140) long. Each medial branch of peritremes with one or two chambers, each lateral branch with four or five chambers (Figure 1C). Idiosoma. Propodonotal shield T-shaped, apunctate, bearing bases of setae ve, si, and c1. Length ratios of setae ve:si 1:1.5–2. Setae c1 and se situated at same transverse level. Hysteronotal shield small, apunctate, very weakly sclerotised, triangular in shape, situated between bases of setae d1. Setae d2 1.2–1.5 times longer than e2. Pygidial shield apunctate, with indiscernible anterior margin. All coxal fields sparsely punctate. Setae 3c 2.5–2.8 times longer than 3b. Length ratio of setae ag1:ag2:ag3 3.2:1:4. Cuticular striations as in Figure 1A, B. Legs. Setae tc″ of legs III and IV about twice as long as tc'III–IV. Fan-like setae p′ and p″ of legs III and IV with 11–13 tines (Figure 1D). Length of setae: ve 20 (20–25), si 40 (30–40), se 190 (180–190), c1 195 (185–225), c2 165 (160–195), d1 (130–165), d2 (155–195), e2 (116–146), f1 25 (20–25), f2 145 (140–155), h1 25 (20–30), h2 270 (245–285), ag1 130 (140–165), ag2 40 (40–50), ag3 165 (165–190), g1 30 (20–30), g2 (20–25), ps1 15 (15), ps2 (15), 3b 30 (25–30), 3c 75 (70–90).

Peristerophila nestoriae, a new species of quill mite of the family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Prostigmata) parasitizing New Zealand Kaka Nestor meridionalis (Gmelin) (Psittaciformes: Strigopidae)

All authors

Natalia Marciniak http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4598-1610, Maciej Skoracki http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7416-3580 & Martin Hromada http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5626-1205

https://doi.org/10.1080/03014223.2019.1607406

Published online:

09 May 2019

Figure 1. Peristerophila nestoriae sp. nov., female. A, dorsal view; B, ventral view; C, peritremes; D, fan-like seta p′III.

Display full size

Male. Unknown.

Type material. Female holotype and 8 female paratypes from New Zealand Kaka N. meridionalis (Gmelin) (Psittaciformes: Strigopidae) [host no. ZSM A1036/563; habitat: quills of under-tail coverts], NEW ZEALAND: coll. Haast (no other data).

Type material deposition. All type specimens are deposited in the AMU, except 2 female paratypes in the ZSM.

Differential diagnosis. Peristerophila nestoriae sp. nov. is morphologically similar to Peristerophila falcophila Skoracki et al. 2018 described from three avian hosts of the genus Falco (Skoracki et al. 2018). In females of both species, the infracapitulum and coxal fields I–IV are punctate; the propodonotal shield is entire; the hysteronotal shield is small, weakly sclerotised and rectangular in the shape, not fused to the pygidial shield; setae si are shorter than 60 µm. This new species differs from P. falcophila by the following features: in females of the new species, the stylophore is 130–140 long; the propodonotal shield bear bases of setae ve, si, and c1; fan-like setae p′ and p″ of legs III and IV are with 11–13 tines; the lengths of setae ag2 are 40–50. In females of P. falcophila, lengths of the stylophore are 150–160; the propodonotal shield bear bases of setae ve and si; fan-like setae p′ and p″ of legs III and IV are with 10 tines; lengths of setae ag2 are 55–70.

Etymology. The name nestoriae refers to the generic name of the host.