Search results for "Arachnida"
showing 10 items of 24 documents
Tick-borne pathogens in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from migratory birds in southern Norway
2020
Birds are important hosts for the first life stages of the Ixodes ricinus tick and they can transport their parasites over long distances. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Neoehrlichia mikurensis and Rickettsia helvetica in ticks collected from migratory birds in Norway. A total of 815 Ixodes ricinus ticks from 216 birds trapped at Lista Bird Observatory in southern Norway during spring and autumn migration in 2008 were analysed by real-time PCR. B. burgdorferi s. l. was the most prevalent pathogen, detected in 6.1% of the ticks. The prevalence of N. mikurensis, A. phagocytophilum and R. helvetica was 1.2%…
Do bank voles (Myodes glareolus) trapped in live and lethal traps show differences in tick burden?
2020
In studies assessing tick abundance, the use of live traps to capture and euthanize rodent hosts is a commonly used method to determine their burden. However, captive animals can experience debilitating or fatal capture stress as a result prior to collection. An alternative method is the use of lethal traps, but this can potentially lead to tick drop-off between the time of capture and collection. In this study, in order to determine whether subjecting animals to capture stress is inevitable, we tested the difference in sheep tick (Ixodes ricinus) larval burdens between bank voles (Myodes glareolus) captured alive and euthanized, and lethally trapped bank voles. During 2017 and 2018, 1318 b…
A new species of Charinus Simon, 1892 (Amblypygi, Charinidae) from termite nests in French Guiana
2015
The genus Charinus is represented by 51 species, distributed in all tropical regions. Their small size allows them to use a wide range of micro-habitats, from caves, litter to insect nests. The new species C. sillami sp. nov. was found into termite nests of three different species: Neocapritermes taracua, Spinitermes sp. and Embiratermes neotenicus. Only Paracharon caecus (Paleoamblypygi: Paracharontidae) was previously known to be associated with Isoptera. Eleven species of Charinus were previously known from Northern South America. Charinus sillami sp. nov. is the second species of the genus occurring in French Guiana. An updated key of Northern South-American species is provided.
Molecular phylogeny of the harvestmen genus Sabacon (Arachnida: Opiliones: Dyspnoi) reveals multiple Eocene–Oligocene intercontinental dispersal even…
2012
Abstract We investigated the phylogeny and biogeographic history of the Holarctic harvestmen genus Sabacon , which shows an intercontinental disjunct distribution and is presumed to be a relatively old taxon. Molecular phylogenetic relationships of Sabacon were estimated using multiple gene regions and Bayesian inference for a comprehensive Sabacon sample. Molecular clock analyses, using relaxed clock models implemented in BEAST, are applied to date divergence events. Biogeographic scenarios utilizing S-DIVA and Lagrange C++ are reconstructed over sets of Bayesian trees, allowing for the incorporation of phylogenetic uncertainty and quantification of alternative reconstructions over time. F…
Two new species of the genus emNemaspela/em Šilhavý from caves in Georgia (Opiliones: Nemastomatidae).
2021
Two highly specialized endemic troglobiotic harvestman species of the genus Nemaspela Šilhavý, 1966 are described. N. melouri sp. nov. from Melouri Cave and N. prometheus sp. nov. from Prometheus Cave (Sataplia-Tskaltubo karst massif, Imereti region, western Georgia), respectively. Despite the fact that the entrances of the caves are positioned only 2.5 km apart, the new taxa differ from each other distinctly by presence vs. absence of male cheliceral apophysis, which is lacking in the second species. A key to the Caucasian species of the genus is provided. Relationships of Nemaspela species within the genus and with hypothetical epigean ancestors are discussed.
The Centetostoma scabriculum complex—a group of three cryptic species (Arachnida: Opiliones: Nemastomatidae)
2011
Nemastoma scabriculum Simon, 1879 turned out to be a group of three closely related species of the Pyrenees in SW Europe (France and Spain). Though the species are similar in general habit they can easily be recognized by external morphology (structure of the apophysis of male chelicerae) and male genital morphology (penial structure). For Nemastoma scabriculum Simon, 1879 sensu stricto a lectotype is designated. The synonymous Nemastoma ventalloi Mello-Leitao, 1936 is considered to be a distinct species and is re-described. The third species of the group is described as new, Centetostoma juberthiei sp. n. Though partly sympatric in their restricted Pyrenean area, the individual species are…
Gluing the ‘unwettable’: soil-dwelling harvestmen use viscoelastic fluids for capturing springtails
2014
Gluing can be a highly efficient mechanism of prey capture, as it should require less complex sensory–muscular feedback. Whereas it is well known in insects, this mechanism is much less studied in arachnids, except spiders. Soil-dwelling harvestmen (Opiliones, Nemastomatidae) bear drumstick-like glandular hairs (clavate setae) at their pedipalps, which were previously hypothesized to be sticky and used in prey capture. However, clear evidence for this was lacking to date. Using high-speed videography, we found that the harvestman Mitostoma chrysomelas was able to capture fast-moving springtails (Collembola) just by a slight touch of the pedipalp. Adhesion of single clavate setae increased p…
Hidden Mediterranean diversity: Assessing species taxa by molecular phylogeny within the opilionid family Trogulidae (Arachnida, Opiliones)
2009
This is the first comprehensive study to evaluate the relationships between the western palearctic harvestman families Dicranolasmatidae, Trogulidae and Nemastomatidae with focus on the phylogeny and systematics of Trogulidae, using combined sequence data of the nuclear 28S rRNA and the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Bayesian analysis and Maximum parsimony do not reliably resolve Dicranolasma as distinct family but place it on a similar phylogenetic level as several lineages of Trogulidae. Nemastomatidae and Trogulidae turned out to be monophyletic, as did genera Anelasmocephalus and Trogulus within the Trogulidae. The genera Calathocratus, Platybessobius and Trogulocratus each appeared p…
Sialotranscriptomics of the argasid tick ornithodoros moubata along the trophogonic cycle
2021
32 páginas, 8 tablas, 6 figuras
Considerations on systematics of the Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata), with definition of a new species group and description of a new species
2015
The authors debate some aspects of the classification of the Phytoseiidae, especially the subfamily Typhlodrominae. Within this taxon, the rhenanus group is the most numerous species group of Typhlodromus (Anthoseius), with 206 nominal species. Detailed observation of morphological characters of the species in this group showed a considerable variation, suggesting the presence of different natural lineages. The discovery of the new species here described, Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) sandrae Ragusa & Tsolakis n. sp., allowed the definition of the new porathi species group. Definition of the new species group, a dichotomous key as well as the description of the new species are given.