MITE FAUNA ASSOCIATED WITH SOME DOMESTIC AND WILD AGRICULTURAL ANIMALS AND THEIR HABITAT IN EGYPT

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Shoubra El-Kheima, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Random samples were collected from Giza Qualubyia and Minufyia Governorates during summer, autumn and winter 2001. The collected samples were litter, poultry food and feather from chickens, ducks, pekeeny ducks, geese, rabbits (as a domestic animals) and quails, rozella birds, zebra birds and kockteel birds (as a wild animals which were in captivity). Mites belonging to twenty-seven families of four suborders; viz., Gamasida, Actinedida, Acaridida and Oribatida plus the hypopal stage of family Acaridae, were collected. Out of 27 families, 24, 14 and 11 were found in Qaliobia, Giza and Minufyia Governorates, respectively. However, number of mites, percentage of occurrence and dominance differentiated families in and between localities. Number of mites during autumn season was the highest representing 21 families followed by summer then winter. Hypopal stage represented about 20% of mite population in autumn season while no hypopal stage in summer but nil in winter. Litter harbored mites of all 27 families and hypopal stage which was not found in feather and food. The percentage of mites and hypopal stage was 89.39% in litter, followed by feather (9.51%) then food (1.1%). Only 6 and 5 families were found in food and feather respectively. Feather of Pekeeny ducks harbored 49.5% of mites while chicken’s feather harbored 42.6%. The percentage of mites in leftover food was 89% while it was 11% in food before feeding. The most common mite families in this study were Acaridae, Glycyphagidae Pyroglyphidae, Cheyletidae, Ascidae and Dermanyssidae.  Declaration of the role of the animals under investigation and their habitat as a source of stored product mites also the dominance of occurrence of the recorded mite families were discussed in details

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