Abstract
The two hematophagous mite species, the Northern Fowl Mite Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Macronyssidae) and the Chicken Red Mite Dermanyssus gallinae (Dermanyssidae), are considered serious pests in fowl farms in the USA and in Europe respectively. However, neither of them seems to be restricted to either of these two continents according to sparse records in the literature. The aim here was to explore the respective ecological repartitions of these two species in France and to compare them with data from the USA. We thus analyzed hematophagous mesostigmatid mites collected in France in natura, in orchards agroecosystems, in pet bird and fowl farms and compared DNA sequences from some North American and French mites in both species. It is remarkable that O. sylviarum has been recurrently encountered in bird nests from France and yet been absent from French layer farms, whereas it is a serious pest in layer farms in the USA. On the other hand, O. sylviarum has been isolated from ornamental bird farms in France (canary, pheasant). This suggests either a strong impact of different farming practices between continents or a colonization in process in Europe. It remains to be explored whether the opposite applies to D. gallinae in the USA. Lastly, mites belonging to the special lineage D. gallinae L1 have been isolated from North American pigeons providing mt and nDNA sequences very close to French L1 isolates. This confirms the specific status of this cryptic entity.
Highlights
The two hematophagous mite species, the Northern Fowl Mite Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini and Fanzago, 1877) (Mesostigmata: Dermanyssoidea: Macronyssidae) and the Chicken Red Mite Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer, 1778) (Mesostigmata:Dermanyssoidea:Dermanyssidae) are obligatory ectoparasites primarily parasitizing birds
It is remarkable that O. sylviarum is so commonly encountered in French bird nests under test, yet absent from French layer farms, whereas it is a serious pest in layer farms in the USA
This suggests that different farming practices between both continents might explain the paradox of the omnipresence of both species in wild avifauna and a selective presence in French layer farms
Summary
The two hematophagous mite species, the Northern Fowl Mite Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini and Fanzago, 1877) (Mesostigmata: Dermanyssoidea: Macronyssidae) and the Chicken Red Mite Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer, 1778) (Mesostigmata:Dermanyssoidea:Dermanyssidae) are obligatory ectoparasites primarily parasitizing birds They are serious pests in fowl farms in the USA and http://www1.montpellier.inra.fr/CBGP/acarologia/ ISSN 0044-586-X (print). Ornithonyssus sylviarum has been recorded in nests of various birds in several European countries (Ambros et al, 1992; Kristofík et al, 2007) as well as in some French layer farms (Bruneau et al, 2002), but is not considered a problem in layer farms in France It is is a well-known pest in layer farms in the USA (Axtell and Arends, 1990; Mullens et al, 2001). It is largely present in wild avifauna in the North America (Hogsette et al, 1991; Knee and Proctor, 2007)
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