Martin Hromada

University of Prešov | UNIPO · Department of Ecology

Life-history theory predicts that current behaviour affects future reproduction, implying that animals should optimise their escape strategies to reflect fitness costs and benefits of premature escape. Both costs and benefits of escape may change temporally with important consequences for the evolution of escape strategies. Moreover, escape strateg...

Timing of menarche has largely been studied in the context of a secular trend. However, since mortality and fertility rates are fundamental demographic factors linked to a population’s developmental and reproductive characteristics, we expect that the timing of menarche, a precondition to reproduction, is also associated with these vital rates. We...

Hoatzin, a unique species endemic to Neotropics, has puzzled avian systematists since it was described 244 years ago. Despite its enigmatic origin and unparalleled life cycle, behavior, and mode of life, its parasites only occasionally were investigated. In this study, a new species Calamicoptes hoazinus n. sp. (Laminosioptidae: Fainocoptinae) was...

We studied the quill mite fauna of the family Syringophilidae, associated with bee-eaters. We examined 273 bird specimens belonging to nine closely related species of the genus Merops, representing two phylogenetic sister clades of a monophyletic group. Our examination reveals the presence of two species of the genus Peristerophila, as follows: (1)...

This article emphasises the importance of parasitological research in understanding ecological dynamics and biodiversity conservation through a global analysis of quill mites (Syringophilidae) parasitising Sunbirds (Nectariniidae). Data from 764 Sunbird individuals across seventy-six species revealed twelve quill mite species, including three newly...

An uncommon host-parasite relationship is presented: Carnus hemapterus Nitzsch, 1818 (Diptera: Carnidae) parasiting fledgling of Coracias garrulus Linnaeus, 1758. This host association has hitherto not been recorded from the territory of Romania.

Epidermoptidae (Acariformes: Astigmata) are permanent ectoparasites of birds; representatives of some genera have evolved phoretic associations with louse flies (Hippoboscidae). Moreover, mites of some genera hyperparasitise their phoretic carriers, using them for oviposition and in some cases for feeding. In the course of research focused on bird...

Harrison’s Rule (HR) postulates a positive allometry between host and parasite body sizes. We tested HR for Syringophilid quill mites parasitizing birds. Using host body mass and parasite body length as size indices, this pattern was absent in the Syringophilidae family and the Syringophilinae subfamily as a whole. However, when considering the par...

The subfamily Picobiinae (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) comprises obligate and permanent parasites of birds found exclusively in the quills of contour feathers. We studied associations of picobiine mites with birds of the family Sturnidae (Aves: Passeriformes) across the Palaearctic, Afrotropical, Oriental, and Oceanian zoogeographical regions. Amo...

Quill mites of the family Syringophilidae are widely distributed parasites of birds inhabiting the interior of feather quills. In this paper, we provide detailed information on the host spectrum and distribution for six previously described species of syringophilines associated with starlings with new host and locality records. Additionally, we des...

In the present paper, we continue our studies on quill mites of the family Syringophilidae parasitising birds of the family Sturnidae. Herein, we describe a new species, Picobia wisniewskii sp. nov., collected from the red-winged starling Onychognathus morio (Linnaeus) in Tanzania. Additionally, we provide an emended diagnosis and new host records...

We present a summarization of an overview of hippoboscid flies parasitizing bird hosts in Slovakia. Six new host associations are presented in this paper: Lipoptena fortisetosa Maa, 1965 collected on Certhia familiaris Linnaeus, 1758 and Sylvia atricapilla (Linnaeus, 1758), Ornithomya biloba Dufour, 1827 collected on S. atricapilla, Ornithomya chlo...

The first bite by deer ked Lipoptena cervi (Linnaeus, 1758) on humans has been reported from Slovakia. The host was bitten on the head and neck. Pain and itching appeared immediately after the bite. The skin lesion persisted for several weeks. Although the first documented case of human stings is published here, bites may have occurred in the past,...

The hippoboscids play important roles in ecosystem functioning and can serve as indicators of biodiversity and ecosystem health. These bloodsucking ectoparasites are important from a public health perspective, as they can serve as vectors of various endoparasitic pathogens in animals and humans, although our understanding is still limited in this c...

Quill mites of the family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Prostigmata) parasitizing starlings of the genus Lamprotornis Temminck (Aves: Passeriformes: Sturnidae) from the sub-Saharan region are comprehensively studied for the first time. Among them, two new species are described: (1) Syringophiloidus soponai Skoracki, Patan and Unsoeld sp. n., collec...

Keds (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) are a very specific and undoubtedly interesting family of ectoparasitic dipterans. A morphometric analysis of the setae of Lipoptena fortisetosa (Maa, 1965) revealed considerable variability, with many setae often missing in each specimen. Therefore, it is advisable to select a smaller number of landmarks that are cons...

This study presents findings from a pilot investigation regarding the presence of bird carcasses in close proximity to roadways in the district of Sabinov, located in eastern Slovakia. Over the period of 2016 to 2021, a total of 29 bird carcasses were identified through mapping. The highest frequency of carcasses was observed during April and May (...

The quill mite fauna of the Syringophilidae family (Acariformes: Prostigmata), which is associated with palaeognathous birds of the Tinamiformes order, remains poorly studied. Thus far, only two species of syringophilid mites have been documented on four species of tinamous. In this study, we present a description of a new species, Tinamiphilopsis...

In this study, we conducted a parasitological investigation of the quill mite fauna of the subfamily Picobiinae (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) associated with African barbets (Aves: Piciformes: Lybiidae). We examined twenty-seven host species, representing 57% of the forty-seven known host species in the family Lybiidae, belonging to s...

Animal tolerance towards humans can be a key factor facilitating wildlife–human coexistence, yet traits predicting its direction and magnitude across tropical animals are poorly known. Using 10,249 observations for 842 bird species inhabiting open tropical ecosystems in Africa, South America, and Australia, we find that avian tolerance towards huma...

A new quill mite species of the family Syringophilidae and subfamily Picobiinae, Charadriineopicobia janegoodallae sp. nov., is described. It was collected from Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel Hydrobates tethys (Bonaparte), a representative of the order Procellariiformes and family Hydrobatidae. Our finding is the first record of the subfamily Picobiinae...

The available keys for European Hippoboscidae are outdated and do not cover all species currently known from Europe. Therefore, identification keys to the eleven genera and 31 species of the European hippo-boscids are provided here. Ornithomya comosa (Austen, 1930) (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) is recorded for the first time from the territory of Slovak...

Due to the biological uniqueness of the Galápagos Islands, ectoparasites of their avian fauna are relatively well-studied compared with other oceanic islands. However, in this study, quill mites (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) were investigated for the first time in this archipelago. We investigated 7 species (out of 9) and 133 specimens...

A new species, Stibarokris nielseni sp. nov. (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) parasitizing Puffinus puffinus (Procellariiformes: Procellariidae) in Iceland, with notes on host associations of the genus Stibarokris Abstract A new syringophilid mite species, Stibarokris nielseni sp. nov., from Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus is described. This findin...

The quill mite fauna of the family Syringophilidae Lavoipierre, 1953 (Acariformes: Prostigmata) associated with parrots (Aves: Psittaciformes) are reviewed. Seven new species are described: Pipicobia cyclopsitta Marciniak-Musial, Hromada & Sikora sp. nov. from the Double-Eyed Fig-Parrot Cyclopsitta diophthalma in Papua New Guinea; P. fuscata Marcin...

Only one quill mite species representing the subfamily Picobiinae Johnston & Kethley, 1973 (Acariformes, Syringophilidae) has been known from gruiform birds (Gruiformes, Rallidae) up to now, i. e., Rafapicobia melzeri Skoracki et al., 2014 recorded from hosts belonging to four genera of rails, Rallus, Pardirallus, Porzana, and Zapornia. Herein we d...

The quill mites belonging to the family Syringophilidae (Acari: Prostigmata: Cheyletoidea) are obligate ectoparasites of birds. They inhabit different types of the quills, where they spend their whole life cycle. In this paper, we conducted a global study of syringophilid mites associated with columbiform birds. We examined 772 pigeon and dove indi...

The golden jackal (Canis aureus) is a highly adaptable, opportunistic - generalist, and elusive canid, and it is present in Slovakia at least since the 1980s, when the first animal was shot and officially registered. The time of the arrival of the first vagrant individuals into the country is not clear, as there are no known fossils or confirmed re...

A faunistic overview of louse flies (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) from the Sabinov district, especially the Sabinov Bird Ringing Station, is presented. Five hippoboscid fly species (15 samples) were captured on five host bird species. Records of Ornithomya avicularia on Hirundo rustica represent a new host record for Slovakia. Records of Lipoptena forti...

Artificial sources of water-water troughs-have primarily been developed to maintain populations of large herbivores in in water-scarce areas for commercial production. They are crucial for maintaining regional biodiversity, yet they are vulnerable to human induced landscape change. Their significance for amphibians is often overlooked, even though...

The fauna of the quill mite genus Peristerophila Kethley, 1970 (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) associated with pigeons and doves (Aves: Columbiformes) is reviewed. In our study, we examined 109 species of columbiform hosts of which 28 species belonging to nine genera were infested by Peristerophila mites. In the analyzed mite material,...

The comparative study of ontogeny and morphological structures of quill mite infrapopulations of a newly described species Peristerophila hirundineussp. nov. from Merops hirundineus (Coraciiformes: Meropidae), collected in Namibia, D.R. Congo, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania, shows evidence of female dimorphism in the genus PeristerophilaKethley, 1970. This...

Quill mite fauna of the genus Meitingsunes Glowska and Skoracki, 2010 associated with birds of the order Columbiformes is revised. Two new species are described: Meitingsunes ptilinopus sp. nov. from Ptilinopus magnificus (Temminck) in Australia and Papua New Guinea and from P. rivoli (Prévost) in Papua New Guinea, and M. lengai sp. nov. from Colum...

Three new species of the family Syringophilidae associated with birds of the pantropically distributed order Coraciiformes are described: two new species of the subfamily Picobiinae—Rafapicobia momoti sp. nov. ex the Rufous-capped Motmot Baryphthengus ruficapillus (Vieillot) (Momotidae) from Brazil, Rafapicobia brachypteraci sp. nov. ex the Rufous-...

Capsule: Different methods of comparing bill morphology between woodpecker species show different, but not contradictory results. Aims: Differences among similar, closely related species which co-occur are still highly debated. In such a scenario, species should diverge morphologically to reduce competition. We studied this phenomenon, in three cl...

A new monotypic genus Tanopicobia gen. nov. is established for a new species Tanopicobia trachyphoni sp. nov., parasitizing Trachyphonus erythrocephalus Cabanis, 1878 (Piciformes: Lybiidae) from Tanzania. In phylogenetic analyses based on morphological data and constructed using the maximum parsimony approach, this taxon falls within the subfamily...

Animals living close to human settlements more often experience disturbance, but also reduced predation risk. Because an escape response is costly, behavioural adjustments of animals in terms of increased tolerance of humans occurs and is often reported in the literature. However, most such studies have been conducted in and around long-existing ci...

We present a pilot study on hippoboscid flies parasitizing bird host at the Drienovec Bird Ringing Station, Slovakia. The louse flies were collected during August and October 2019. Three species of parasites and their host associations are discussed in this paper. The host-parasite association of a louse fly Ornithomya fringillina Curtis, 1836 coll...

Há muito tempo a singularidade do homem vem sendo enfatizada. Foi mencionado que outras espécies não fazem ferramentas, não produzem cultura, não têm personalidade, e não são capazes de ensinar intencionalmente. Descobriu-se, no entanto, que este não é o caso. Hoje sabemos que os animais conhecem os fundamentos da cultura, da linguagem e até da pol...

Quill mites (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) parasitizing waxbills of genus Estrilda Swainson (Aves: Passeriformes: Estrildidae) from the Sub-Saharan region are studied for the first time. Among them, a new species, Syringophiloidus estrildus sp. nov., is described and new host species for Neosyringophilopsis lonchurus Skoracki, 2008, Ne...

A new quill mite species, Neoaulonastus sidorchukae sp. nov. (Acariformes: Syringophilidae), is described from under-tail covert feathers of Leptocoma zeylonica (Linnaeus) (Passeriformes: Nectariniidae) from Sri Lanka. It is the second record of syringophilid mites of the genus Neoaulonastus parasitizing sunbirds.

The list of all known locality and host records from the literature on louse flies from Slovakia are summarized, with the addition of new collection data. New locality data are provided for five species. Three species are added to the Slovakian list: Icosta minor (Bigot in Thomson, 1858), which was erroneously cited for Moravia instead of Slovakia...

Quill mites (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) are a family of about 400 ectoparasite species known to infest birds for over 140 years. All previously identified quill mites occur in the calamus, a cavity of the bird feather, where they spent their entire life except for a short dispersion period. In this study, we report the first record...

Predation is one of the most important factors affecting biology, ecology and behaviour of the prey. We have studied predation of the common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) by the great grey shrike (Lanius excubitor) in farmland habitats in western Poland. Shrike caches were used as a source of information about preyed lizards. Shrikes hunt significantly...

Rho-Spearman correlation of the tested covariates with the mean age at menarche. (DOCX)

Overview of the most commonly associated covariates with mean menarcheal age in the literature. (DOCX)

Mean age at menarche for 89 countries with year and reference. (DOCX)

Univariate statistics for non-normally distributed data with IQR, median, min and max values for the covariates included in the analyses. (DOCX)

Analysis of spatial autocorrelation (Mantel’s coefficient) between mean age at menarche and the remaining covariates. (DOCX)

A new species of quill mite of the family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Prostigmata), Peristerophila nestoriae sp. nov. from New Zealand Kaka, Nestor meridionalis (Gmelin) (Psittaciformes: Strigopidae) is described. This new species is morphologically similar to Peristerophila falcophila Skoracki et al. 2018, and differs from it as follow: the styl...

Quill mites of the family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Cheyletoidea) parasitizing cockatoos (Psittaciformes: Cacatuidae) are reviewed. Three new species are described: Neoaulobia cacatui sp. nov. from the Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus funereus (type host) in Australia and the Palm Cockatoo Probosciger aterrimus in Papua...

Gunabopicobia Skoracki and Hromada, 2013, the only genus of the subfamily Picobiinae Johnston and Kethley, 1973 associated exclusively with birds of the order Columbiformes is reviewed. Five new species are described: G. lathami sp. nov. ex Leucosarcia melanoleuca (Latham) from Australia and ex Caloenas nicobarica (Linnaeus) from Papua New Guinea a...

Animals, including birds, have to optimize their escape strategies under the risk of predation. Level of risk-taking is often estimated as flight initiation distance (FID), which is assumed to reflect the trade-off between costs of escape and benefits of staying put. Despite costs and benefits of escape may change during the season, previous studie...

Article in Slovak press on the research and collection

Article in Slovak press on the research and collection

A new species, Peristerophila falcophila Skoracki and Hromada sp. nov. is described from three avian hosts of the genus Falco: F. peregrinus Tunstall, 1771 from Kenya, Germany and Nepal, F. cherrug Gray, 1834 from Romania, and F. sparverius Linnaeus, 1758 from Colombia. This new species differs from closely related Peristerophila accipitridicus Sko...

A collection of exotic birds deposited in the Šariš Museum in Bardejov (SMB), Slovakia, has not been evaluated critically since their deposition. We assessed the accuracy of identification of 465 bird specimens deposited in SMB with native distributions outside of Slovakia. Specimens belonged to 322 species of 82 families and 26 orders. Of the spec...

A new species of quill mite of the family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Prostigmata), Niglarobia vanelli sp. nov. collected from eight species of the lapwing genus Vanellus (Charadriiformes: Charadriidae), is described: V. vanellus (Linnaeus, 1758) (type host) from Germany, V. gregarius (Pallas, 1771) from Russia, V. senegallus (Linnaeus, 1766), V....

We investigated the quill mite fauna of the family Syringophilidae associated with the Sunbirds in the Sub-Saharan region. 611 host individuals belonging to 52 species were examined. Syringophilid parasitization prevalence (44 hosts of 15 species), ranged from 1.4 to 75% in particular host species. In the collected material we have found seven quil...

The Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus is a well known brood parasite bird species whose density is presumed to be correlated with taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic bird species richness. However, due to the complex interplay between environmental estimates and co-evolutionary processes, the power of this relationship is still debatable. Various at...

Co-existence between potentially competing newt species can lead to niche differentiation (e.g., in terms of diet shifts). This may cause adaptive responses involving changes in head shape. Here, we tested the hypothesis: the head shape of Lissotriton montandoni is different in conditions of co-occurrence with Ichthyosaura alpestris than in conditi...

Humans are a paradigmatic cultural species. Unlike their great ape relatives, with small ranges restricted to the vicinity of the equator, humans have populated whole Earth. What are the reasons behind such enormous success of our species?Much of the knowledge and behavior that allows humans to adapt to a broad range of ecologies is accumulated ove...

It has been suggested that the mastery and use of fire was one of the pivotal drivers of human evolution [1]. However, since habitual fire use appears rather late (∼1 Ma) in the archaeological record, its role remains disputed [2]. Recently, a new line of indirect evidence of the influence of fire on human evolution – the role of fire-prone environ...

A new species, Castosyringophilus merop