Corresponding author: Wayne Knee (
Academic editor: Farid Faraji
Mites (
Knee W (2018) New species of parasitic nasal mites infesting birds in Manitoba, Canada (Mesostigmata, Rhinonyssidae). ZooKeys 786: 1–17.
Birds are hosts to a hyperdiverse assemblage of symbiotic animals, residing in all conceivable habitats. Mites are one of the most diverse and frequently encountered associates of birds, with at least 40 families and 2500 described species that live in close association with birds (
Mites inhabit all parts of the avian integument; they can be found on and in the skin of their hosts, on and in feathers, and in the respiratory tract. Five families of acariform (
Nasal mites have been surveyed in many geographic regions throughout the world (
Injured and sick birds were submitted to the Wildlife Haven (Manitoba Wildlife Rehabilitation Organization) and the Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, mostly by members of the public, and after death they were stored at -20 °C until processing in TD Galloway’s lab at the University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada). The nasal passages of thawed birds were flushed with a solution of warm water and mild soap using a 12 mL Monojet® 412 curved tip orthodontic plastic syringe. The solution was flushed through each nostril, through the opening in the palette and back out the mouth into a Petri dish. Occasionally nasal mites were collected from whole-body washing, where a thawed bird was placed in a container ranging in volume from 4–40 L, depending on the size of the bird, submerged in warm water containing a few drops of liquid dish detergent. Each bird was agitated vigorously three to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the bird. Each bird was then removed from the container and rinsed thoroughly; the washing solution was filtered through a 90 µm sieve. This process was repeated once again with warm, soapy water, and once finally with warm water. The filtrate from all three washes was preserved in 70 or 95% ethanol. Samples were examined for mites using a dissecting microscope. All nasal mites were collected and preserved in 70 or 95% ethanol for later identification.
Mites were removed from ethanol and cleared in 85% lactic acid, mounted in polyvinyl alcohol medium (6371A, BioQuip Products, Rancho Dominguez, California, United States of America), and cured on a slide warmer at 40 °C for 3–4 days. Slide-mounted specimens were examined using a Leica DM2500 compound microscope and Leica ICC550 HD camera, with differential interference contrast illumination (
Type specimens are deposited in the Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids, and Nematodes (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada). Host taxonomy follows
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
This species is named after Dr. Terry D Galloway, who has tirelessly collected nasal mites and other bird-associated arthropods for many years, and has given me the opportunity to continue my studies of these unique mites.
Female
Horned larks are not commonly submitted to wildlife rehabilitation hospitals in Manitoba. Only six specimens have been submitted since 1994, five of which were examined for nasal mites. Of these, two were infested with
Female mites of
Large mite with one dorsal shield, podosomal shield longer than wide, rounded anteriorly, constricted posteriorly with irregular margins posterolaterally, six pairs of setiform setae, vacuolate areas and irregular transverse lines on podosomal shield. Subposterior setal pair on podosomal shield elongate, nearly twice as long as all other podosomal shield setae. Four pairs of setiform setae lateral and posterolateral of podosomal shield. Doral and ventral hysterosoma without small shieldlets. Sternal shield small, poorly sclerotised, constricted posteriorly, seta
Female
Female
Female
Female
This species is named after Eric Shewchuk, a close friend who has been beside me throughout the entirety of my studies on mites.
The female of
Female
Including
The common nighthawk (
I thank the hospital staff at the Wildlife Haven (Manitoba Wildlife Rehabilitation Organization) and the Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre for their care in receiving birds, and their careful triage and processing protocols to maintain specimens in the best condition possible for this study. I am grateful to T.D. Galloway, Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the University of Manitoba for processing birds and collecting mites. I also thank Dave Holder, Lisa Babey, and a small army of undergraduate research assistants for their help in sampling for nasal mites. I thank J. Hsiung for redrawing the described species in Adobe Illustrator. I thank the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences for loaning type material.