Biology of House Finch feather mites, Proctophyllodes pinnatus (Acari: Proctophyllodidae), parallels variation in preen gland secretions

• Published in: International journal of acarology Vol. 37; no. 1; pp. 75 - 90
• Main Authors: Haribal, Meena, Proctor, Heather, Dhondt, André A, Rodriguez, Eloy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Taylor & Francis 01.02.2011; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Acari; Acariformes; adults; Astigmata; Biology; Birds; Carpodacus mexicanus; ectosymbionts; evolution; feather mites; feathers; Fringillidae; natural history; Passeriformes; population dynamics; preen gland secretions; Proctophyllodes pinnatus; Proctophyllodidae; seasonal variation; secretion; uropygial gland; wild birds

Except for Dubinin's classic works in the 1950s, there is very little information on the natural history or population dynamics of feather mites (Astigmata: Acariformes, Pterolichoidea). We studied variation in numbers of the different life stages of the feather mite Proctophyllodes pinnatus (N...