Mites (Mesostigmata) inhabiting bird nests in Slovakia (Western Carpathians)

Abstract

In Slovakia, 229 species of mesostigmatic mites (more than 230,000 specimens) have been collected from more than 2,500 nests of birds from 110 bird taxa. Most (97%) of the mite specimens were parasitic, representing 26 species, of which only six were typical avian parasites. All blood parasites had a wide host range, yet were specific for nest type (except for Dermanyssus chelidonis and Eulaelaps novus). Their abundance peaked in the nesting period. The 3% of the mite specimens that were non-parasitic were the most speciose (203 species). The composition of the non-para-sitic mite fauna in the nests was dependent on nest location (habitat) and nest environment (biotope).