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Systematic Review and Phylogeny of the Feather Mite Genus Metapteronyssus Gaud, 1981 (Astigmata: Pteronyssidae) Associated with African Passerines

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Systematic Review and Phylogeny of the Feather Mite Genus Metapteronyssus Gaud, 1981 (Astigmata: Pteronyssidae) Associated with African Passerines Sergey MIRONOV1 & Georges WAUTHY2 1 Zoological Institute RAS, Saint Petersburg, Russia 2 Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Bruxelles, Belgique SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND PHYLOGENY OF THE FEATHER MITE GENUS METAPTERONYSSUS GAUD, 1981 (ASTIGMATA: PTERONYSSIDAE) ASSOCIATED WITH AFRICAN PASSERINES Mironov, S.V. & G. Wauthy, 2006. Systematic review and phylogeny of the feather mite genus Metapteronyssus Gaud, 1981 (Astigmata: Pteronyssidae) associated with African pas- serines. – Tijdschrift voor Entomologie 149: 21-53, figs. 1-20, tables 1-3. [issn 0040-7496]. Published 1 June 2006. A systematic review of the feather mite genus Metapteronyssus Gaud, 1981 is given, including an improved diagnosis of the genus, revised key to species, description of four new species from African passerines, cladistic analysis of the genus, and a brief discussion of associations with passerine hosts. The type species Metapteronyssus glossifer (Gaud, 1953) is redescribed based on the type material from Euplectes franciscanus (Isert, 1789) (Ploceidae); new species found in the course of study are described as follows: Metapteronyssus amadinae sp. n. from Amadina fasciata alexanderi Neumann, 1908 (Estrildidae), M. anaplecti sp. n. from Anaplectes rubriceps (Sundevall, 1850) (Ploceidae), M. hordacei sp. n. from Euplectes hordaceus Linnaeus, 1758 (Ploceidae), and M. pseudonigritae sp. n. from Pseudonigrita cabanisi (Fischer et Reichenov, 1884) (Passeridae). Brief diagnoses are provided for all formerly described species. Maximum parsimony based on 34 morphological characters revealed three phylogenetic line- ages treated as species groups: angolensis, glossifer, and plocepasseri. Two clear morphological tendencies realized independently in these lineages are traced. One tendency is a progressive reduction of the central hysteronotal sclerite in females; in most derived species of each lineage it is reduced to a thin rod-shaped sclerite or is completely lost. The other tendency is a narrow- ing of the opisthosomal terminus and development of terminal membranous lobules in males that is realized in each lineage in a different way. Based on the phylogenetic relationships among mite species, their currently known distribution among passerines, and taking into consideration phylogenetic relationships between higher passerine host families, we hypothesize that the genus Metapteronyssus originated on the ances- tors the superfamily Passeroidea (parvorder Passerida). We suggest that owing to subsequent cospeciation, its representatives have been dispersed on estrildid finches (Estrildidae), weavers (Ploceidae), and sparrows (Passeridae), and apparently have gone extinct on other families of Passeroidea. Correspondence: S.V. Mironov, Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, 199034, Russia. �����������������E-mail: astigmata@������zin.ru G. Wauthy, Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, rue Vautier 29, B - 1000, Bruxelles, Belgique. E-mail: [email protected] Key-words. – Feather mites; Analgoidea; Pteronyssidae; Metapteronyssus; systematics; host- parasite associations; Passeriformes, Africa. 21 Downloaded from Brill.com09/28/2021 03:37:26PM via free access Tisri oor Enooogie, oe 149, 2006 Table 1. Characters used in the phylogenetic analysis. No Characters and coding Males and females 1 Prodorsal shield posterior to setae se in both: developed (0), not developed (1). 2 Epimerites I: free (0), fused as a narrow U (1). 3 Vertical seta vi: present (0), absent or rudimentary (1). 4 Size of setae ba of tarsi I, II: long, setiform (0), reduced to small spine or absent (1). 5 Spine–like seta ba of tarsi I, II: present (0), absent (1). Males 6 Lateral hysteronotal ridges in male: absent (0), present (1). 7 Median hysteronotal ridge: absent (0), present (1). 8 Posterolateral margins of opisthosoma: gradually attenuate to posterior end (0), strongly convex (1). 9 Position of openings gl: on lateral margins of hysteronotal shield (0), in postero-lateral incisions of hysteronotal shield (1). 10 Margin of opisthosoma between setae ps2: almost straight or moderately convex (0), with median extension of approximately trapezoidal form (1) 11 Entire opisthosomal membrane between setae ps2: absent (0), present (1). 12 Terminal extensions of entire opisthosomal membrane: absent (0), present (1). 13 Membranous terminal lobules between setae h3: absent (0), present, short (1), present, finger-like (2). 14 Length of membrane or membranous extensions from bases of setae h3 to distal margin: less than 10 μm (0), 15-25 μm (1). 15 Subterminal membranes between setae h2 and h3: absent (0), present (1). 16 Transventral sclerite along midline: equal or longer than 10 μm (0), less than 10 (1). 17 Position of setae 3a: on transventral sclerite (0), posterior to transventral sclerite (1). 18 * Adanal shield: absent (0), present (1). 19 Median part of adanal shield: present (0), absent (1). 20 Lateral parts of adanal shield: not separated from median part (0), separated (1), absent (2). 21 Tarsus III: with curved apex (0), with straight apex (1). 22 Apex of tarsus III: claw-like (0), bidentate (1). Females 23 Distance between setae e2: further apart from each other than distance between setae se (0), closer to each other than setae se (1). 24 Central sclerite: not differentiated from main body of hysteronotal shield (0), present (1), absent (2). 25 General form of central sclerite: longitudinal bar-like plate extending to trochanters III (0), ovate plate (1). 26 Width of central sclerite: greatest width over 1/3 of idiosoma width (0), width about 30-50 μm (1), less than 30 μm (2). 27 Splitting of central sclerite: not split (0), split into anterior and posterior fragments (1). 28 * Posterior end of central sclerite: free (0), fused with pygidial sclerites (1). 29 * Position of setae d1: on central sclerite (0), off central sclerite (1), variable in a species, on or off central sclerite (2). 30 Lateral sclerites: not separated from the main body of hysteronotal shield (0), absent (1), present (2). 31 General form of lateral sclerites: elongated plate of irregular form (0), narrow longitudinal band (1), ovate (2). 32 Posterior part of lateral sclerites: relatively wide (0), narrowed (1). 33 External copulatory tube: absent (0), present (1). 34 Length of external copulatory tube: short, less than 10 μm (0), long, 15-45μm (1) (*) Parsimony uninformative characters. Feather mites of the family Pteronyssidae Oude- secondary flight feather of their hosts. mans, 1941 (Astigmata: Analgoidea) currently in- This genus initially included a single species, clude over 130 species in 22 genera (Faccini & Atyeo Metapteronyssus glossifer (Gaud, 1953), described 1981, Gaud & Atyeo 1996, Mironov 2001, Mironov from Euplectes franciscanus (Isert, 1789) (Ploceidae) & Wauthy 2005a). Within this family, the genus and also reported from several other ploceids and Metapteronyssus Gaud, 1981 represents small-sized estrildid finches in Africa (Gaud 1953, Faccini & pteronyssid mites known from three families of pas- Atyeo 1981). Later, Mironov and Kopij (2000) de- serine birds, Estrildidae, Passeridae, and Ploceidae. As scribed the second species, M. angolensis Mironov for most pteronyssids, representatives of this genus et Kopij, 2000, from the blue waxbill Uraeginthus inhabit the ventral surfaces of vanes of primary and angolensis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Estrildidae). Finally, 22 Downloaded from Brill.com09/28/2021 03:37:26PM via free access Mirono & Way: Metapteronyssus from African pas nine more new species were described from various small lobe-like extensions with membranous margins African sparrows, weavers, and estrildid finches and developed on the posterior end of the opisthosoma a key to species was proposed for the first time by between setae h3 (figs. 1a, b, 2a, b) are referred to Mironov (2002). as ‘terminal lobules’. In some species the border be- In the course of our systematic study of feather tween the membranous marginal part and scarcely mites associated with African passerines (Mironov & sclerotized basal part of the lobules may be not clearly Wauthy 2005a-c) we have found four new species of expressed. In any case, only the membranous part of Metapteronyssus and also re-examined type material these lobules is referred to as the ‘terminal membrane’. of all formerly described species. Our examination of Two small semicircular membranous extensions situ- the type series of M. glossifer and additional material ated between the bases of setae h2 and h3 are referred revealed that in the generic revision of pteronyssids to as ‘subterminal membranes’ (Mironov 2002) (Faccini & Atyeo 1981) this species was redescribed (fig. 2b). The anal area bearing anal discs and anal incorrectly. These authors actually redescribed anoth- opening is flanked from lateral sides by a pair of the er species and gave incorrect data on host associations adanal membranes. that has also led to inappropriate interpretation of All measurements in the descriptions are given M. glossifer in subsequent publications (Mironov & in micrometres (μm). A full set of measurements is Kopij 2000, Mironov 2002). given only for the holotype (male) and one paratype The main goal of our paper is a taxonomic review (female); the range of idiosomal size (length, width) is and phylogenetic analysis of the genus Metapteronyssus displayed for the rest of the paratype specimens. based on morphological characters. The taxonomic Specimen depositories and reference accession part contains an improved
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