DOCSLIB.ORG

The Journal of the American Society of Parasitologists

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Journal of the American Society of Parasitologists See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225306092 A New Demodecidae Species (Acari) from the Yellow-Necked Mouse Apodemus flavicollis (Rodentia: Muridae)—Description with Data on Parasitism Article in Journal of Parasitology · June 2012 DOI: 10.1645/GE-3018.1 · Source: PubMed CITATIONS READS 23 246 1 author: J. N. Izdebska University of Gdansk 171 PUBLICATIONS 728 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Akcja edukacyjna "Wszy poznaj i pokonaj problem" University of Gdansk View project All content following this page was uploaded by J. N. Izdebska on 12 February 2015. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. The Journal of A NEW DEMODECIDAE SPECIES (ACARI) FROM THE YELLOW-NECKED MOUSE APODEMUS FLAVICOLLIS (RODENTIA: MURIDAE)—DESCRIPTION WITH DATA ON PARASITISM Joanna N. Izdebska Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, University of Gdansk,´ Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk,´ Poland. e-mail: [email protected] The Journal of the American Society of Parasitologists J. Parasitol., 98(6), 2012, pp. 1101–1104 Ó American Society of Parasitologists 2012 A NEW DEMODECIDAE SPECIES (ACARI) FROM THE YELLOW-NECKED MOUSE APODEMUS FLAVICOLLIS (RODENTIA: MURIDAE)—DESCRIPTION WITH DATA ON PARASITISM Joanna N. Izdebska Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, University of Gdansk,´ Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk,´ Poland. e-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT: This paper describes morphological characteristics and the occurrence of Demodex corniculatus n. sp., which was found on Apodemus flavicollis in Poland. The yellow-necked murid mouse is a common European rodent; until now, it was parasitized by a single demodectic mite species, Demodex rosus, which occurs in the oral cavity and esophagus. The new species was found in hair follicles, particularly within hairy regions of the head and genital–anal area. Demodex corniculatus occurred in 33% of the yellow- necked mice examined. The new species is small (adult stages 140 lm in length); characteristic features of these mites are massive supracoxal spines (ca. 5–6 lm long) on the dorsal side of the gnathosoma and palps with thick-set, bifurcated terminal spines. This paper also contains a checklist of demodecids in European and cosmopolitan murids. Demodecidae is a family of parasitic mites characterized not coxal spines, ca. 5–6 long (Figs. 1, 2A, 4A); palps with thickset, bifurcated only by host specificity but also by topical specificity. Synhospital terminal spines (Fig. 2A). Opisthosomal organ present in both sexes, species of demodectic mites occur frequently in different slightly arc-shaped. Adult stages characterized by clear sexual dimor- phism. Females larger than males (almost 30%) with more elongated mammals. They live in various microhabitats of the skin including opisthosoma as compared with males. Supracoxal spines, spines of palps hair follicles of common or sensory hairs, miscellaneous glands and claws slightly smaller in females. and their efferent ducts, or outer layers of epidermis (Bukva, Male (holotype): Body length 122.5 (mean 123.7, n ¼ 16, including 1991; Izdebska, 2010). Some are even associated with the anterior holotype), with width of 23.8 (mean 23.4) (Figs. 1A, 3; Table I). sections of the digestive tract (Nutting et al., 1973; Desch, 1991). Gnathosoma rectangular, oblong (longer than base width); dorsal side This specialization induces development of preferences regarding with 2 solid supracoxal spines, ca. 6 long (Figs. 1A, 2A), which extend the location selection. Accordingly, in species of Apodemus, from edges of gnathosoma, nearly contact each other close to center. demodectic mite species were described that were associated with Three-segmented palps with massive, bifurcated terminal spines (ca. 5.5 common hair follicles (Demodex arvicolae apodemi), sensory hair follicles within the nose region (Demodex longior), glands near the eyes (Demodex lacrimalis, Demodex huttereri, Ophthalmodex apodemi), glands in the ears (Demodex agrarii), and in the oral cavity and esophagus (Demodex rosus) (Hirst, 1919; Lukoschus and Jongman, 1974; Mertens et al., 1983; Bukva et al., 1985, 1992; Bukva, 1994; Izdebska and Cydzik, 2010). Altogether, 13 species of demodectic mites have been identified from European murid rodents including 1 species, D. rosus, reported in the common yellow-necked mouse Apodemus flavicollis. The present paper describes a new species of Demodex from A. flavicollis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty specimens of the yellow-necked mouse Apodemus flavicollis from the Pomerania region of Poland were examined for ectoparasites in 2009. Skin samples 1-cm2 were collected from the mice from several regions of the body including the head (around eyes, ears, sensory hairs of a nose, lips, and chin), nape, belly, dorsum, limbs, and the genital–anal region. The skin samples were examined for the presence of demodectic mites using the standard method for digestion (Izdebska, 2004), i.e., samples were digested in 10% KOH solution, decanted, and examined using a phase-contrast microscope. The mite specimens recovered were measured and placed in Faure’s solution. All measurements are in micrometers unless otherwise noted. In order to define the level of host infestation, the main parasitological parameters were enumerated, i.e., the prevalence (percentage of infested hosts) and the mean intensity (the average number of parasites in infested hosts). DESCRIPTION Demodex corniculatus n. sp. (Figs. 1–3, Table I) Diagnosis: Small follicle mite (adult stages 140 in length) in hairy skin of yellow-necked mouse. On dorsal side of gnathosoma, 2 massive supra- Received 21 October 2011; revised 8 June 2012; accepted 13 June 2012. FIGURE 1. Demodex corniculatus n. sp. (A) Male, dorsal view; (B) DOI: 10.1645/GE-3018.1 female, ventral view. 1101 1102 THE JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY, VOL. 98, NO. 6, DECEMBER 2012 Taxonomic summary Host and locality: The yellow-necked mouse, Apodemus flavicollis (Melchior, 1834), hosts were trapped in Pomerania (548190N, 188120E; 548150N, 188140E), Poland, in March 2009. Holotype (No 41/09) was collected from A. flavicollis. Deposition of materials: Preparations with the specimens were stored in the collection of the Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitol- ogy at the University of Gdansk´ (Holotype male, RAfDc01, 27 paratypes RAfDc02–RAfDc28). Etymology: The specific epithet corniculatus (horned, crescent-shaped) refers to the massive supracoxal spines and the shape of the spines on the palps (Figs. 1A, 2A, 3, 4A). Distribution and intensity of infection: Demodex corniculatus exhibited a prevalence of 33.3% in yellow-necked mice, with the mean intensity of 2.8 specimens per host. Fragments of skin possessed exclusively adult specimens (16 males, 12 females) and some oval eggs. Because the level at infestation was very low, no lesions were observed. All specimens were found in the hairy skin of the head (eyelids, cheeks, ears, and chin) and in the skin of the genital–anal area. Male mice were more frequently infested (7 of 15 males, 3 of 15 females). DISCUSSION The yellow-necked mouse is a common rodent living through- out most of Europe and some parts of Asia. Its parasitofauna is relatively well explored, but to date only 1 species of Demodex mite has been reported for this mouse species; it is associated with the oral cavity and anterior sections of the digestive tract (Bukva et al., 1985). From 2 to 4 species of Demodex mites have been recorded from other murid rodents in Europe (Table II). FIGURE 2. Demodex corniculatus n. sp., male. (A) Gnathosoma, With respect to morphological features and site of infection, the ventral view; (B) aedeagus; (C) opisthosomal organ. new species seems most similar to D. arvicolae, which has been reported from among the European murids and voles. Highly long). On ventral side of gnathosoma, oval pharyngeal bulb with distinct specialized demodecid species are usually associated with just 1 subgnathosomal setae on both sides (Fig. 2A). Four pairs of 6- host species. However, D. arvicolae has been observed in house segmented legs on podosoma which project beyond its edges; 2 solid claws on each tarsal segment. Epimeral plates narrow, rectangular (pair mice, striped field and wood mice, short-tailed and common voles, II and III) or trapezoidal (pair I and IV) (Fig. 3). Opisthosoma and the bank vole (Hirst, 1919). Four D. arvicolae subspecies have constitutes ca. 55% of body length (Table I), straight, somewhat been identified, although they are also often recognized as distinct narrower than podosoma, slightly tapered toward end, clearly striated. species in different hosts. Moreover, subspecies from different Opisthosomal organ present, slightly arc-shaped (Fig. 2C). An aedeagus (mean 21.9 long) on dorsal side, situated between third and first pair of hosts are characterized by great morphological heterogeneity. legs (Figs. 1A, 2B). Therefore, it seems that D. arvicolae is a species that requires Female: Females more slender and longer than males; body length taxonomic revision (Izdebska, 2000). 155.9, width 25.9 (Table I). Shape and morphological details of A common trait of D. arvicolae is the presence of massive gnathosoma similar to male. Spines on palpi slightly smaller (ca. 5 long), supracoxal spines on the dorsal side of the gnathosoma, more less massive; also, supracoxal spines somewhat smaller (ca. 4.5 long) and finer (Fig. 1B). Podosoma more elongated
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Influence of Parasites on Fitness Parameters of the European Hedgehog (Erinaceus Europaeus)
    Influence of parasites on fitness parameters of the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus ) Zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades eines DOKTORS DER NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN (Dr. rer. nat.) Fakultät für Chemie und Biowissenschaften Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) – Universitätsbereich vorgelegte DISSERTATION von Miriam Pamina Pfäffle aus Heilbronn Dekan: Prof. Dr. Stefan Bräse Referent: Prof. Dr. Horst Taraschewski Korreferent: Prof. Dr. Agustin Estrada-Peña Tag der mündlichen Prüfung: 19.10.2010 For my mother and my sister – the strongest influences in my life “Nose-to-nose with a hedgehog, you get a chance to look into its eyes and glimpse a spark of truly wildlife.” (H UGH WARWICK , 2008) „Madame Michel besitzt die Eleganz des Igels: außen mit Stacheln gepanzert, eine echte Festung, aber ich ahne vage, dass sie innen auf genauso einfache Art raffiniert ist wie die Igel, diese kleinen Tiere, die nur scheinbar träge, entschieden ungesellig und schrecklich elegant sind.“ (M URIEL BARBERY , 2008) Index of contents Index of contents ABSTRACT 13 ZUSAMMENFASSUNG 15 I. INTRODUCTION 17 1. Parasitism 17 2. The European hedgehog ( Erinaceus europaeus LINNAEUS 1758) 19 2.1 Taxonomy and distribution 19 2.2 Ecology 22 2.3 Hedgehog populations 25 2.4 Parasites of the hedgehog 27 2.4.1 Ectoparasites 27 2.4.2 Endoparasites 32 3. Study aims 39 II. MATERIALS , ANIMALS AND METHODS 41 1. The experimental hedgehog population 41 1.1 Hedgehogs 41 1.2 Ticks 43 1.3 Blood sampling 43 1.4 Blood parameters 45 1.5 Regeneration 47 1.6 Climate parameters 47 2. Hedgehog dissections 48 2.1 Hedgehog samples 48 2.2 Biometrical data 48 2.3 Organs 49 2.4 Parasites 50 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Biogeography and Taxonomy of Apodemus Sylvaticus (The Woodmouse) in the Tyrrhenian Region: Enzymatic Variations and Mitochondrial DNA Restriction Pattern Analysis J
    Heredity 76(1996) 267—277 Received30 May 1995 Biogeography and taxonomy of Apodemus sylvaticus (the woodmouse) in the Tyrrhenian region: enzymatic variations and mitochondrial DNA restriction pattern analysis J. ft MICHAUX, M.-G. FILIPPUCCtt, ft M. LIBOIS, ft FONS & ft F. MATAGNE Service d'Ethologie et de Psycho/ogle An/male, Institut de Zoologie, Quai Van Beneden 22 4020 Liege, Belgium, ¶Dipartimento di Biologia, Universita di Roma 'Tor Vergata Via 0. Raimondo, Rome 00173, Italy, Centre d'Ecologie Terrestre, Laboratoire ARAGO, Université Paris VI, 66650, Banyu/s/Mer, France and §Laboratoire de Génetique des Microorganismes, Institut de Botanique (Bat. B 22), Université de Liege, Sart Ti/man, 4000 Liege, Belgium Inthe western Mediterranean area, the taxonomic status of the various forms of Apodemus sylvaticus is quite unclear. Moreover, though anthropogenic, the origins of the island popula- tions remain unknown in geographical terms. In order to examine the level of genetic related- ness of insular and continental woodmice, 258 animals were caught in 24 localities distributed in Belgium, France, mainland Italy, Sardinia, Corsica and Elba. Electrophoresis of 33 allo- zymes and mtDNA restriction fragments were performed and a UPGMA dendrogram built from the indices of genetic divergence. The dendrogram based on restriction patterns shows two main groups: 'Tyrrhenian', comprising all the Italian and Corsican animals and 'North- western', corresponding to all the other mice trapped from the Pyrenees to Belgium. Since all the Tyrrhenian mice are similar and well isolated from their relatives living on the western edge of the Alpine chain, they must share a common origin. The insular populations are consequently derived from peninsular Italian ones.
    [Show full text]
  • Nansei Islands Biological Diversity Evaluation Project Report 1 Chapter 1
    Introduction WWF Japan’s involvement with the Nansei Islands can be traced back to a request in 1982 by Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh. The “World Conservation Strategy”, which was drafted at the time through a collaborative effort by the WWF’s network, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), posed the notion that the problems affecting environments were problems that had global implications. Furthermore, the findings presented offered information on precious environments extant throughout the globe and where they were distributed, thereby providing an impetus for people to think about issues relevant to humankind’s harmonious existence with the rest of nature. One of the precious natural environments for Japan given in the “World Conservation Strategy” was the Nansei Islands. The Duke of Edinburgh, who was the President of the WWF at the time (now President Emeritus), naturally sought to promote acts of conservation by those who could see them through most effectively, i.e. pertinent conservation parties in the area, a mandate which naturally fell on the shoulders of WWF Japan with regard to nature conservation activities concerning the Nansei Islands. This marked the beginning of the Nansei Islands initiative of WWF Japan, and ever since, WWF Japan has not only consistently performed globally-relevant environmental studies of particular areas within the Nansei Islands during the 1980’s and 1990’s, but has put pressure on the national and local governments to use the findings of those studies in public policy. Unfortunately, like many other places throughout the world, the deterioration of the natural environments in the Nansei Islands has yet to stop.
    [Show full text]
  • Genetic Variation and Evolution in the Genus Apodemus (Muridae: Rodentia)
    Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2002, 75, 395–419 With 8 figures Genetic variation and evolution in the genus Apodemus (Muridae: Rodentia) MARIA GRAZIA FILIPPUCCI1, MILOSˇ MACHOLÁN2* and JOHAN R. MICHAUX3 1Department of Biology, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, I-00133 Rome, Italy 2Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Veveˇrí 97, CZ-60200 Brno, Czech Republic 3Laboratory of Palaeontology, Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier (UMR 5554), University of Montpellier II, Place E. Bataillon, F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France Received June 2001; accepted for publication November 2001 Genetic variation was studied using protein electrophoresis of 28–38 gene loci in 1347 specimens of Apodemus agrar- ius, A. peninsulae, A. flavicollis, A. sylvaticus, A. alpicola, A. uralensis, A. cf. hyrcanicus, A. hermonensis, A. m. mystacinus and A. m. epimelas, representing 121 populations from Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Mean values of heterozygosity per locus for each species ranged from 0.02 to 0.04. Mean values of Nei’s genetic distance (D) between the taxa ranged from 0.06 (between A. flavicollis and A. alpicola) to 1.34 (between A. uralensis and A. agrarius). The highest values of D were found between A. agrarius and other Apodemus species (0.62–1.34). These values correspond to those generally observed between genera in small mammals. Our data show that A. agrarius and A. peninsulae are sister species, well-differentiated from other taxa. High genetic distance between A. m. mystac- inus and A. m. epimelas leads us to consider them distinct species and sister taxa to other Western Palaearctic species of the subgenus Sylvaemus.
    [Show full text]
  • Studying Hunting Behaviour in the Striped Field Mouse Using Data Compression
    acta ethol DOI 10.1007/s10211-017-0260-9 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Studying hunting behaviour in the striped field mouse using data compression Zhanna Reznikova1,2 & Jan Levenets1 & Sofia Panteleeva1,2 & Boris Ryabko2,3 Received: 5 August 2016 /Revised: 4 April 2017 /Accepted: 6 April 2017 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg and ISPA 2017 Abstract We compare predatory behaviour towards a mobile Keywords Ethograms . Rodents . Shrews . Pattern . Insects . insect in three species of small mammals: the granivorous Prey striped field mouse, the insectivorous common shrew and the Norway rat (a generalist). The striped field mouse displays a surprisingly efficient hunting stereotype. We apply the data Introduction compression method (Ryabko et al. Theory Comput Syst 52:133–147, 2013) to compare the complexity of hunting be- Small rodents play a central role in many ecosystems; howev- havioural patterns and to evaluate the flexibility of stereotypes er, their foraging ecology and behavioural adaptations for and their succinctness. Norway rats demonstrated the highest choosing optimal diets in changeable environment have been level of complexity of hunting behaviour, with the highest insufficiently investigated. It is of particular interest to study proportion of ‘auxiliary’ and ‘noise’ elements and relatively hunting behaviour in those species that possess a diverse diet low proportion of ‘key’ elements in their behaviours. The and can switch to live prey in order to broaden their feeding predominance of ‘key’ elements resulted in similarly low niche. Recently, we revealed advanced hunting behaviour in levels of complexity of hunting stereotypes in striped field the striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius. In our laboratory mice and shrews.
    [Show full text]
  • Checklist of Rodents and Insectivores of the Mordovia, Russia
    ZooKeys 1004: 129–139 (2020) A peer-reviewed open-access journal doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1004.57359 RESEARCH ARTICLE https://zookeys.pensoft.net Launched to accelerate biodiversity research Checklist of rodents and insectivores of the Mordovia, Russia Alexey V. Andreychev1, Vyacheslav A. Kuznetsov1 1 Department of Zoology, National Research Mordovia State University, Bolshevistskaya Street, 68. 430005, Saransk, Russia Corresponding author: Alexey V. Andreychev ([email protected]) Academic editor: R. López-Antoñanzas | Received 7 August 2020 | Accepted 18 November 2020 | Published 16 December 2020 http://zoobank.org/C127F895-B27D-482E-AD2E-D8E4BDB9F332 Citation: Andreychev AV, Kuznetsov VA (2020) Checklist of rodents and insectivores of the Mordovia, Russia. ZooKeys 1004: 129–139. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1004.57359 Abstract A list of 40 species is presented of the rodents and insectivores collected during a 15-year period from the Republic of Mordovia. The dataset contains more than 24,000 records of rodent and insectivore species from 23 districts, including Saransk. A major part of the data set was obtained during expedition research and at the biological station. The work is based on the materials of our surveys of rodents and insectivo- rous mammals conducted in Mordovia using both trap lines and pitfall arrays using traditional methods. Keywords Insectivores, Mordovia, rodents, spatial distribution Introduction There is a need to review the species composition of rodents and insectivores in all regions of Russia, and the work by Tovpinets et al. (2020) on the Crimean Peninsula serves as an example of such research. Studies of rodent and insectivore diversity and distribution have a long history, but there are no lists for many regions of Russia of Copyright A.V.
    [Show full text]
  • Operation Wallacea Science Report 2019, Târnava Mare, Transylvania
    Operation Wallacea Science Report 2019, Târnava Mare, Transylvania Angofa, near Sighișoara. JJB. This report has been compiled by Dr Joseph J. Bailey (Senior Scientist for Operation Wallacea and Lecturer in Biogeography at York St John University, UK) on behalf of all contributing scientists and the support team. The project is the result of the close collaboration between Operation Wallacea and Fundația ADEPT, with thanks also to York St John University. Published 31st March 2020 (version 1). CONTENTS 1 THE 2019 TEAM ............................................ 1 4.14 Small mammals ................................. 15 2 ABBREVIATIONS & DEFINITIONS .......... 2 4.15 Large mammals: Camera trap ..... 15 3 INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND ......... 3 4.16 Large mammals: Signs .................... 15 3.1 The landscape....................................... 3 5 RESULTS ........................................................ 17 3.2 Aims and scope .................................... 3 5.1 Highlights ............................................. 17 3.3 Caveats .................................................... 4 5.2 Farmer interviews ............................ 18 3.4 Wider context for 2019 .................... 4 5.3 Grassland plants ................................ 22 3.5 What is Operation Wallacea? ......... 5 5.3.1 Species trends (village) ........ 22 3.6 Research projects and planning ... 5 5.3.2 Biodiversity trends (plots) .. 25 3.6.1 In progress ................................... 6 5.4 Grassland butterflies ....................... 27 3.6.2
    [Show full text]
  • Diversification of Muroid Rodents Driven by the Late Miocene Global Cooling Nelish Pradhan University of Vermont
    University of Vermont ScholarWorks @ UVM Graduate College Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 2018 Diversification Of Muroid Rodents Driven By The Late Miocene Global Cooling Nelish Pradhan University of Vermont Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis Part of the Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons, Evolution Commons, and the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Pradhan, Nelish, "Diversification Of Muroid Rodents Driven By The Late Miocene Global Cooling" (2018). Graduate College Dissertations and Theses. 907. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/907 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate College Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DIVERSIFICATION OF MUROID RODENTS DRIVEN BY THE LATE MIOCENE GLOBAL COOLING A Dissertation Presented by Nelish Pradhan to The Faculty of the Graduate College of The University of Vermont In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Specializing in Biology May, 2018 Defense Date: January 8, 2018 Dissertation Examination Committee: C. William Kilpatrick, Ph.D., Advisor David S. Barrington, Ph.D., Chairperson Ingi Agnarsson, Ph.D. Lori Stevens, Ph.D. Sara I. Helms Cahan, Ph.D. Cynthia J. Forehand, Ph.D., Dean of the Graduate College ABSTRACT Late Miocene, 8 to 6 million years ago (Ma), climatic changes brought about dramatic floral and faunal changes. Cooler and drier climates that prevailed in the Late Miocene led to expansion of grasslands and retreat of forests at a global scale.
    [Show full text]
  • Diverse Mite Family Acaridae
    Disentangling Species Boundaries and the Evolution of Habitat Specialization for the Ecologically Diverse Mite Family Acaridae by Pamela Murillo-Rojas A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) in the University of Michigan 2019 Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Thomas F. Duda Jr, Chair Assistant Professor Alison R. Davis-Rabosky Associate Professor Johannes Foufopoulos Professor Emeritus Barry M. OConnor Pamela Murillo-Rojas [email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7823-7302 © Pamela Murillo-Rojas 2019 Dedication To my husband Juan M. for his support since day one, for leaving all his life behind to join me in this journey and because you always believed in me ii Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to say thanks to the University of Michigan, the Rackham Graduate School and mostly to the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology for all their support during all these years. To all the funding sources of the University of Michigan that made possible to complete this dissertation and let me take part of different scientific congresses through Block Grants, Rackham Graduate Student Research Grants, Rackham International Research Award (RIRA), Rackham One Term Fellowship and the Hinsdale-Walker scholarship. I also want to thank Fulbright- LASPAU fellowship, the University of Costa Rica (OAICE-08-CAB-147-2013), and Consejo Nacional para Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICIT-Costa Rica, FI- 0161-13) for all the financial support. I would like to thank, all specialists that help me with the identification of some hosts for the mites: Brett Ratcliffe at the University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, NE, identified the dynastine scarabs.
    [Show full text]
  • Mechanisms of Space Use in the Wood Mouse, Apodemus Sylvaticus
    Mechanisms of space use in the wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus Benedict John Godsall 2015 Imperial College London Faculty of Natural Sciences Division of Biology A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Author's declaration I declare that this thesis is my own work and that all else is appropriately referenced. Copyright Declaration The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives licence. Researchers are free to copy, distribute or transmit the thesis on the condition that they attribute it, that they do not use it for commercial purposes and that they do not alter, transform or build upon it. For any reuse or redistribution, researchers must make clear to others the licence terms of this work. 1 Abstract "Space use” describes a wide set of movement behaviours that animals display to acquire the resources necessary for their survival and reproductive success. Studies across taxa commonly focus on the relationships between space use and individual-, habitat- and population-level factors. There is growing evidence, however, that variation in space use between individuals can also occur due to differences in 'personalities' and genetic variation between individuals. Using a wild population of the European wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus, this thesis aims to: i) investigate the roles of individual-level (body mass, body fat reserves and testosterone), habitat-level (Rhododendron and logs) and population-level (population density, sex ratio and season) factors as drivers of individual variation in the emergent space use patterns of individual home range size and home range overlap, estimated using spatial data collected in a mixed-deciduous woodland over three years.
    [Show full text]
  • A Case Report of Human Demodicosis in a Patient Referred
    IJMPES International Journal of http://ijmpes.com Medical Parasitology & doi 10.34172/ijmpes.2020.07 Vol. 1, No. 1, 2020, 21–22 Epidemiology Sciences Case Report Open Access Scan to access more A Case Report of Human Demodicosis in a Patient free content Referred to a Dermatology Clinic in Tabriz, Iran Hesamoddin Mohebbi*, Shayan Boozarjomehri Amniyeh, Parisa Mahdavi, Ali Heydari Azar Heris Department of Parasitology, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran Abstract Background: The genus Demodex belongs to the order Prostigmata and the family Demodecidae that has several species of uncommon mites, some of which cause severe scabies in animals. There are two species of this mite that cause disease in humans, including Demodex folliculorum, which is known as hair follicle mite, and Demodex brevis. This disease is more common in women than in men. Case Presentation: The patient is a 36-year-old woman living in one of the villages of Tabriz city who referred to a dermatologist following severe itching and hyperkeratosis (abundant dandruff) of the cheeks. Then, she was introduced to the laboratory for preparing a slide from a sample taken from the patient’s cheeks. A large number of Demodex mites were observed in the microscopic test of the sample. Conclusion: In patients referred to skin clinics with scaling and itching, especially in the head and face, the complication may be due to Demodex infection. Therefore, it is suggested that demodicosis be considered in differential diagnosis in such patients. Keywords: Skin, Hyperkeratosis, Human demodicosis, Tabriz city Received: December 1, 2019, Accepted: December 15, 2019, ePublished: January 1, 2020 Introduction for microscopic examination.
    [Show full text]
  • Seasonal Changes in Tawny Owl (Strix Aluco) Diet in an Oak Forest in Eastern Ukraine
    Turkish Journal of Zoology Turk J Zool (2017) 41: 130-137 http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/zoology/ © TÜBİTAK Research Article doi:10.3906/zoo-1509-43 Seasonal changes in Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) diet in an oak forest in Eastern Ukraine 1, 2 Yehor YATSIUK *, Yuliya FILATOVA 1 National Park “Gomilshanski Lisy”, Kharkiv region, Ukraine 2 Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology, Faculty of Biology, V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Kharkiv, Ukraine Received: 22.09.2015 Accepted/Published Online: 25.04.2016 Final Version: 25.01.2017 Abstract: We analyzed seasonal changes in Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) diet in a broadleaved forest in Eastern Ukraine over 6 years (2007– 2012). Annual seasons were divided as follows: December–mid-April, April–June, July–early October, and late October–November. In total, 1648 pellets were analyzed. The most important prey was the bank vole (Myodes glareolus) (41.9%), but the yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) (17.8%) dominated in some seasons. According to trapping results, the bank vole was the most abundant rodent species in the study region. The most diverse diet was in late spring and early summer. Small forest mammals constituted the dominant group in all seasons, but in spring and summer their share fell due to the inclusion of birds and the common spadefoot (Pelobates fuscus). Diet was similar in late autumn, before the establishment of snow cover, and in winter. The relative representation of species associated with open spaces increased in winter, especially in years with deep snow cover, which may indicate seasonal changes in the hunting habitats of the Tawny Owl.
    [Show full text]