Aspergillosis in hihi (<i>Notiomystis cincta</i>) on Mokoia Island

Alley, M.R.; Castro, Isabel; Hunter, Jodie

doi:10.1080/00480169.1999.36119

Cited by 38 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Aspergillosis has been suggested as a limiting factor for the establishment of the Mokoia Island population (Alley et al, 1999;Perrot, 2001) and it is likely that predation by the native owl Ruru, or Morepork (Ninox novaeseelandiae), may also cause mortality during the breeding season (Low and Part, 2009). However, food availability is the only factor that has been found experimentally to affect population growth (Castro et al, 2003;Armstrong et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traumatic Ventriculitis Following Consumption of Introduced Insect Prey (Hymenoptera) in Nestling Hihi (Notiomystis Cincta)

Rippon

Alley

Castro

2013

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

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ABSTRACT:Nestling mortality in the endangered and endemic Hihi, also called Stitchbird (Notiomystis cincta), was studied over the 2008-09 breeding season at Zealandia-Karori Sanctuary, Wellington, New Zealand. Histopathology showed traumatic ventriculitis in seven of 25 (28%) dead nestlings. Single or multiple granulomas centered on chitinous insect remnants were found lodged within the gizzard mucosa, muscle layers, and ventricular or intestinal serosa. The insect remnants were confirmed as bee or wasp stings (Hymenoptera) using light and electron microscopy. Bacteria or yeasts were also found in some granulomas, and death was due to bacterial septicemia in four cases. Endemic New Zealand birds are likely to lack evolutionary adaptations required to safely consume introduced honey bees (Apis mellifera) and vespulid wasps (Vespula germanica [German wasp], and Vespula vulgaris [common wasp]). However, these insects are attracted to feeding stations used to support translocated Hihi populations. As contact between bees, wasps, and the endemic fauna of New Zealand seems inevitable, it may be necessary to minimize the numbers of these introduced insects in areas set aside for ecologic restoration.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traumatic Ventriculitis Following Consumption of Introduced Insect Prey (Hymenoptera) in Nestling Hihi (Notiomystis Cincta)

Rippon

Alley

Castro

2013

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

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“…Bird pox has been reported in pipits (Anthus novaeseelandiae) (Quinn 1971) and aspergillosis in stitchbirds (Notiomystis cincta) (Alley et al 1999), but both species survive in suitable habitat. In addition, although the smallest species of Puffinus shearwater went extinct on the North and South Islands, all except one survived elsewhere, while the larger species survived on the main islands (Holdaway 1999).…”

Section: Possible Causes Of Extinction Of Finsch's Duckmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Holocene extinction of Finsch's duck(Chenonetta finschi),an endemic, possibly flightless, New Zealand duck

Holdaway¹,

Jones

Athfield

2002

Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand

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Finsch's duck (Chenonetta finschi), an extinct, possibly flightless New Zealand endemic, was widely distributed and apparently abundant immediately before human settlement of New Zealand, but its bones have rarely been identified in archaeological sites. Its extinction has been variously attributed to habitat changes, predation by the introduced Pacific rat (Rattus exulans), and human predation. Discriminating between possible causes of its extinction hinges on determining the relative timing of phases of the extinction process and the arrival of rats and humans. Methodological problems of determining the time of extinction of fossil species are reviewed. Bayesian statistical analysis of a series of accelerator mass spectrometry 14 C ages on gelatin from Finsch's duck bones from non-cultural deposits suggests that the species began to decline before widespread Polynesian settlement and that it was much reduced in range and numbers by the time extensive human predation and habitat alteration began. Possible causes of its extinction after Polynesian settlement are discussed.

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“…The New Zealand Department of Conservation has attempted to establish new populations to improve its status in the wild (Taylor et al, 2005); however, until recently many of these translocations have been unsuccessful. Reasons proposed for its poor translocation success include lack of food at crucial times of the year (Armstrong and Ewen, 2001), competition from honeyeater species (Wilson, 1997), and the impact of disease (Alley et al, 1999). Because of the suggested link between disease and the viability of stitchbird populations, when a feather-losing dermatitis was observed in the Tiritiri Matangi Island stitchbird population, an effort was made to: 1) describe the lesions as they presented in individual stitchbirds and assess lesion prevalence within the population, 2) determine the likely causative agent of the dermatitis, and 3) evaluate the implications of this disease for recovery of the species.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This difference between the sexes could come about from differences in contact between conspecifics (and, hence, parasite exposure and spread), or differences in susceptibility associated with immune function. In stitchbirds, it is thought that their high susceptibility to aspergillosis is at least in part due to a testosterone-mediated reduction in immune function (Alley et al, 1999). In other species, an interaction between parasite fecundity and the host immune system that exhibits a seasonality directly related to male hormone profiles has been shown (reviewed in Folstad and Karter, 1992).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pruritic Facial Dermatitis in a Population of Free-living Stitchbirds

Low

Alley

Scott

2007

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

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ABSTRACT:From September 2001 to February 2005, observations of an island population of the New Zealand stitchbird (Notiomystis cincta) revealed a progressive feather-losing dermatitis, which developed during the breeding season around the birds' eyes, base of the bill, and ventral neck. The lesions were significantly more likely to develop in males (96%) than females (51%), with males exhibiting a more severe form of the condition at the end of the breeding season. Histology from a dead bird revealed the presence of ovoid burrowing mites within the lesions, and isolation of mites from skin crusts of a live bird were identified as Knemidocoptes spp. Although other factors might be involved in the expression of the condition, Knemidocoptes appears to be a likely causative agent in the development of skin lesions in this population.

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Aspergillosis in hihi (Notiomystis cincta) on Mokoia Island

Cited by 38 publications

References 8 publications

Traumatic Ventriculitis Following Consumption of Introduced Insect Prey (Hymenoptera) in Nestling Hihi (Notiomystis Cincta)

Traumatic Ventriculitis Following Consumption of Introduced Insect Prey (Hymenoptera) in Nestling Hihi (Notiomystis Cincta)

Late Holocene extinction of Finsch's duck(Chenonetta finschi),an endemic, possibly flightless, New Zealand duck

Pruritic Facial Dermatitis in a Population of Free-living Stitchbirds

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