Two feather mite species (Alloptidae, Freyanidae) associated with the Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis (Rothschild, 1893) (Diomedeidae) from Japanese coastal waters.
A research group, including Dr. Tsukasa Waki of Toho University, has identified two rare mite species, which clean the feathers of the Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis (Rothschild, 1893) and have a symbiotic relationship with their hosts, based on feather specimens from seas around Japan. The study was published in the international journal Systematic and Applied Acarology (ISSN 1362-1971) on the 19th of January 2023.
Dr. Tsukasa Waki
Key Points:
The research group found two feather mite species from the Laysan Albatross P. immutabilis (Rothschild, 1893) (listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species), collected from seas around Japan in 2018.
Of the two species, Echinacarus petaliferus （Trouessart, 1898）was first identified in the seas around Japan. The number of individuals obtained for this mite is very low and, like the host, there are concerns about the future survival of the population.
The other species, which has been rediscovered in the waters around Japan after 52 years, is the Diomedacarus gigas （Trouessart, 1895）. The genetic population structure of this mite revealed genetic haplotypes that are specific to each host individual, indicating that the genetic diversity of the host population itself needs to be conserved to maintain the genetic diversity of this mite.
The host P. immutabilis （Rothschild, 1893） is thought to have traveled widely in the North Pacific, from its breeding islands near Japan to the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and around the Aleutian Islands, where the sea mite is thought to also fly with it over a wide area.
The feather mites, which clean the feathers of birds, are considered to have a symbiotic relationship with birds.
Fig. 1. Feather mites from the Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis (Rothschild, 1893) . A. Echinacarus petaliferus （Trouessart, 1898）; B. Diomedacarus gigas （Trouessart, 1895)
Fig. 2. Feather mites on the Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis (Rothschild, 1893)
Journal:
Systematic and Applied Acarology January 19, 2023 issue
Title:
Two feather mite species (Alloptidae, Freyanidae) associated with the Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis (Rothschild, 1893) (Diomedeidae) from Japanese coastal waters.
Authors:
Tsukasa Waki*, Masaki Eda and Satoshi Shimano
