New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts
Mite infestation of Xanthocnemis zealandica in a Christchurch
pond
Dermot McKee
Matt Thomas
Tom N. Sherratt
School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
University of Durham
Durham, DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
email: dermot.mckee@durham.ac.uk
Ian Harvey
Department of Biological Sciences
The University of Liverpool
Liverpool, L69 3BX, United Kingdom
Abstract Infestation of the common redcoat damselfly
Xanthocnemis zealandica (McLachlan) with larval water mites (Arrenurus
spp.) was examined in a single Canterbury population during November-December
2001. Tenerals (immature adult damselflies) of both male and female morphs
(androchrome and gynochrome) showed a similar prevalence of infestation,
higher than the prevalence of infestation found in mature adults. As anticipated,
mature adult males were more frequently infested than mature females, but
there was no evidence that infestation reduced the mating activity of males.
Up to 62 mites were found per infested host, although mean mite burdens were
not significantly related to the size, gender or morph of the hosts.
Keywords damselflies; mites; Xanthocnemis zealandica;
parasitism
Z02005 Received 25 February 2002; accepted 5 September 2002; published
21 March 2003
New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 2003, Vol. 30: 17-20
0301-4223/03/3001-0017 $7.00/0 © The Royal Society of New Zealand
2003
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