Parasite-host associations and life cycles of spring-living water mites (Hydrachnidia, Acari) from Luxembourg |
| |
Authors: | Peter Martin Elisabeth Stur |
| |
Institution: | 1. Department of Animal Ecology, Zoological Institute, Christian-Albrechts-Universit?t zu Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, D-24098, Kiel, Germany 2. Section for Natural History, Museum of Natural History and Archaeology, Erling Skakkes gt. 47, N-7491, Trondheim, Norway
|
| |
Abstract: | Larval water mites are parasites of various insect species. The main aim of the present study was to analyse the host range
of spring dwelling water mites. The investigation focuses on seven spring sites in Luxembourg. Some 24 water mite species
were recorded either from the benthos or as parasites attached to flying insects captured in emergence traps. For 20 mite
species 35 host species from four Nematocera (Diptera) families were recorded. About 80% of the host species and over 90%
of the host individuals were Chironomidae, the others were Limoniidae, Dixidae and Simuliidae. For all water mite species
recorded we present the observed host spectrum and/or potential hosts as well as the intensity of parasitism and the phenology
of the mites. For 10 mite species the hosts were previously unknown. For another ten species the known host spectrum can be
confirmed and extended. The host spectrum ranged from one host species (e.g. for Sperchon insignis) to at least 10 host species (for Sperchon thienemanni, Ljania bipapillata), but the effective host range could not be definitively estimated due to the lack of corresponding data. The hypothesised
host preference of the water mites, of which most are strictly confined to spring habitats, for similarly spring-preferring
hosts could not be proven. The mean intensity of parasitism was highest for Thyas palustris (10.8 larvae/host) and lowest for Sperchon insignis and Hygrobates norvegicus (1.2 larvae per host for each). The hydryphantid mite Thyas palustris occurred at maximal intensity (41 larvae per host) and the two abdominal parasites Ljania bipapillata and Arrenurus fontinalis showed higher mean intensities than the thoracic parasites did. Larval water mites parasitising chironomids did not exhibit
a preference for host sex. The phenology of the larval mite species was varied, some species were only present in samples
early in the year and others exclusively in the summer. Another species showed two peaks of occurrence, springtime/early summer
and late summer/autumn. In conclusion, the water mite larvae in the studied springs showed differences in host spectra and
phenology but there are no clear evidences in both for host partitioning. Maybe, the relative low species diversity of water
mites in individual springs and the low inter-specific competition for suitable hosts in combination with the high host abundances
and species richness makes springs such favourable habitats for the mites. |
| |
Keywords: | parasitism host specificity phenology Chironomidae Diptera |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|