Dermanyssus chelidonis Oudemans, 1939

Mašán, Peter, Fenďa, Peter, Krištofík, Ján & Halliday, Bruce, 2014, A review of the ectoparasitic mites (Acari: Dermanyssoidea) associated with birds and their nests in Slovakia, with notes on identification of some species, Zootaxa 3893 (1), pp. 77-100 : 81

Dermanyssus chelidonis Oudemans, 1939

Dermanyssus hirundinis .— Berlese, 1889: 3. Misidentification.

Dermanyssus chelidonis Oudemans, 1939: 306 . New name for Dermanyssus hirundinis Hermann, 1804 sensu Berlese (1889).

Dermanyssus chelidonis .— Evans & Till, 1962: 283, 1966: 353; Moss, 1968: 79, 1978: 634.

Taxonomic remarks. The species may be easily separated from its congeners by its markedly reduced peritremes, which reach only the mid level of the coxae II. Other distinguishing characters can be found in the identification key below.

Occurrence and habitat. There are only a few records of this species from the western and central parts of Slovakia, but the species is undoubtedly more common and widely distributed than has been reported. The recorded vertical distribution of the Slovakian specimens ranges from 128 to 600 m a.s.l. Dermanyssus chelidonis appears to be almost host-specific for the common house martin, Delichon urbicum (86.2% of all specimens reported from Slovakia), although it occasionally occurs in the nests of other bird species (see below).

Host distribution. Bird nests: Delichon urbicum , Linaria cannabina , Riparia riparia . These hosts have been previously listed by Fenďa (2009), without complete collection data, which is added below. Another host, the Eurasian blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus , is not included among the hosts because Zeman & Jurík (1981) did not record D. chelidonis with this host in the territory of the former Czechoslovakia.

New data. Borská Nížina Lowland: 9 ♀♀, 5 ♂♂, 1 N, 8 April 1993, Bratislava Capital, Devínske Jazero Settlement , Linaria cannabina . Malé Karpaty Mts.: 11 ♀♀, 1 ♂, 10 September 1989, Bratislava Capital, Rača Settlement , Delichon urbicum . Podunajská Rovina Lowland: 3 ♀♀, 1 ♂, 15 October 1986, Šamorín Village, Riparia riparia ; 4 ♀♀, 5 September 1990, Gabčíkovo Village, Delichon urbicum . Starohorské Vrchy Mts.: 23 ♀♀, 1 N, 13 September 1989; 13 ♀♀, 1 ♂, 11 NN, 17 September 1989, Staré Hory Village, Delichon urbicum . Štiavnické Vrchy Mts.: 52 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂, 30 September 1986, Štiavnické Bane Village, Počúvadlo Lake, Delichon urbicum .