Nasal mites from specimens of the brown-headed cowbird (Icteridae: Molothrus ater) from Texas and Arkansas, U.S.A.

Abstract

Avian nasal mites are obligate parasites that spend their entire life in the respiratory system of birds. In North America, four families in three orders parasitize birds: Rhinonyssidae (Mesostigmata), Ereynetidae (Prostigmata), Cytoditidae (Astigmata) and Turbinoptidae (Astigmata). Mechanisms of nasal mite transmission among hosts is still unclear and brood parasites like the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater Boddaert, 1783), which utilize multiple bird species as hosts, are interesting for the study of parasites such as nasal mites. We examined 126 cowbirds for nasal mites and found 84 individuals (66.6 %) to be infested. The most common nasal mite species recovered was Ptilonyssus icteridius Strandmann and Furman, 1956. The presence of P. richmondenae George, 1961, in Brown-headed Cowbird represents a new host association, and a potential new species of Ptilonyssus was also recovered. The ereynetid species Boydaia quiscali Clark, 1960 was found in two Brown-headed Cowbirds, both times a co-infestation with species of Ptilonyssus.