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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 106(2)

Ticks (Ixodes sp.) and blood parasites (Haemoproteus spp.) in New Holland Honeyeaters (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae): evidence for site specificity and fitness costs

Sonia Kleindorfer A C , Sarah Lambert A and David C. Paton B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia.

B School of Earth & Environmental Studies, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: sonia.kleindorfer@flinders.edu.au

Emu 106(2) 113-118 https://doi.org/10.1071/MU05055
Submitted: 18 October 2005  Accepted: 27 February 2006   Published: 19 May 2006

Abstract

New Holland Honeyeaters (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae, Meliphagidae) were examined for tick and blood parasite prevalence and intensity during a single breeding season (June–November 2004) at four locations in South Australia. We examined 126 birds for ticks and 110 of these birds for blood parasites. Twenty-two birds (17.5%) were infested with one to two ticks from the genus Ixodes. Ten birds (9.1%) were infected with blood parasites from the genus Haemoproteus (intensity was low, on average 0.016% infected blood cells). There was no relation between blood parasite and tick prevalence within birds and across sites. We found no relationship between blood parasites and site, or age, sex, or body condition of hosts. Tick prevalence was significantly related to host age (being higher in juveniles than adults), site (ticks were only found in coastal areas), and reduced body condition. This study provides preliminary evidence for a geographical pattern of tick (Ixodes sp.) distribution: we found ticks on Kangaroo Island and in a coastal area of the Fleurieu Peninsula, but not at sites more inland within the Mount Lofty Ranges.


Acknowledgments

This study was funded through the Wildlife Conservation Fund, Mark Mitchell Foundation, Conservation Council of South Australia, and the Department for Environment and Heritage, with awards to S. Kleindorfer. We thank Dr Sue Jaensch in Brisbane and Dr Martin Copland in Adelaide, both with IDEXX Laboratories, for identification of the blood parasites. We thank Belinda Cale and Steffen Schulz for their dedicated fieldwork, Peter Cale for helpful discussion, and Rachael Dudaniec and Margot Oorebeek for comments on the manuscript. Leslee Marando provided us with molecular identification of the tick samples.


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