Revealing the Complexity of Host-Parasite Relationships Between Syringophilid Mites and Sunbirds in Their Global Range
2025
Bozena Sikora | Markus Unsoeld | Roland R. Melzer | Stefan Friedrich | Martin Hromada
This article emphasises the importance of parasitological research in understanding ecological dynamics and biodiversity conservation through a global analysis of quill mites (Syringophilidae) parasitising Sunbirds (Nectariniidae). Data from 764 Sunbird individuals across seventy-six species revealed twelve quill mite species, including three newly described species: <i>Aulonastus aethopygus</i> Sikora and Unsoeld sp. n., <i>Syringophiloidus haeckeli</i> Sikora and Unsoeld sp. n., and <i>Aulonastus arachnotherus</i> Sikora and Unsoeld sp. n. A bipartite network analysis indicated a low connectance of 0.10, suggesting that only 10% of potential bird–parasite connections are realised. This high specialisation is further supported by an H<sub>2′</sub> index of 0.94 and a C score of 0.83, indicating low co-occurrence among mite species. The temperature of nestedness at 13.49 suggests a well-organised network structure. Additionally, normalised specialisation (d’) ranged from 0.60 to 1, reflecting unique host–parasite interactions. High modularity (likelihood = 0.80) with nine modules was identified, with hosts ranging from one to seven. The study concludes by discussing the host–parasite dynamics and their ecological implications within this system.
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