Mite Fauna (Acari: Parasitiformes) in Nests of Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Passeriformes: Paridae) and a Comparison with Two Other Passerine Bird Species

摘要

The species composition and community structure of gamasid mites in nests of Cyanistes caeruleus in Northeastern Bulgaria were studied. Six species belonging to three families of mites (Dermanyssidae, Macronyssidae and Laelapidae) were recorded. The species Dermanyssus gallinae, D. hirundinis, Hypoaspis heselhausi, H. lubrica and Ornithonyssus sylviarum are reported for the first time in blue tit nests. Mite communities were strongly dominated by D. gallinae, which was found with the highest prevalence and dominance. A comparison of the mite fauna in the blue tit nests and those in the nests of Parus major and Ficedula semitorquata was made. Although the studies were conducted at the same time and in the same environment, the mite fauna of the three bird species nests differs significantly in terms of taxonomic diversity and abundance, level of mite infestation and community structure.