Diplaegidia gladiator (Haller, 1882:63)
Passenger pigeon mite
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonyms: Dimorphus gladiator Haller, 1882:63; Mègninia gladiator (Haller, 1882:63); Megninia gladiator (Haller, 1882:63)
Originally described as Dimorphus gladiator by Haller (1882:63), based upon specimens collected by J. B. Tyrell1 (Haller, 1882:64; Walker, 1913:298). It was regarded under Dimorphus by Tyrell in the same year as the scientific description (Tyrell, 1882:46). Then implicitly transferred to the genus Megninia by Trouessart (1885:51), and subsequently treated under Megninia as M. gladiator into the early 20th century (Poppe, 1888:219; Berlese, 1897; Banks, 1904, 1907, 1915; Walker, 1913:298). It then appears to go unmentioned in the literature for most of the 20th century before popping up shortly after the new millennium under Diplaegidia as D. gladiator (Koh et al., 2004:SM; Dabert & Alberti, 2008:2764; Maas, 2011; Beall, 2022). However, no modern zoological catalogue (e.g. GBIF) appears to include D. gladiator, so its taxonomic status/placement needs clarification. The contemporary placement of the species in Diplaegidia is presumably based upon the host records of other recognised species in the genus, D. columbae and D. columbigallinae, which are well known ectoparasites of columbids.
1 J. B. Tyrell himself credits both he and his brother, H. E. Tyrell, with collecting various mite species (Tyrrell, 1882:43), but not necessarily D. gladiator.
Conservation Status
Extinct (Koh et al., 2004:SM; Dabert & Alberti, 2008:2764)
Last record: 1878-1880 (Walker, 1913:298), or later; before 2 September 1914 [by implication] (Dabert & Alberti, 2008:2764)
The Passenger pigeon chewing louse (Columbicola extinctus), previously thought to be restricted to parasitising the extinct Passenger pigeon (Malcomson, 1937; Stork & Lyal, 1993), has been shown to also parasitise the extant Band-tailed pigeon (Columba fasciata) (Clayton & Price, 1999; Koh et al., 2004:SM). Thus there is a possibility that D. gladiator is not host specific, and will also be recorded on a second columbid host.
Distribution & Habitat
Ontario, Canada
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Haller, G. (1882). Zur Kenntnis der Dermaleichiden. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 48(Bd.1): 47-79.
Other references:
Banks, Nathan. (1904). A treatise on the Acarina, or mites. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 28(1382): 1-114 [93].
Banks, Nathan. (1907). A catalogue of the Acarina, or mites, of the United States. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 32(1553): 595-625 [618].
Banks, Nathan. (1915). The Acarina or mites. A review of the group for the use of economic entomologists. United States Department of Agriculture Report 108: 1-153 [126]. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.65927
Beall, Luke. (2022, November 1). Unwelcome Guests – Coextinction of Parasites. The Extinctions. Available at: https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/unwelcome-guests-coextinction-of-parasites [Accessed 1 December 2025]
Berlese, Antonio. (1897). Acari Myriopoda et Scorpiones hucusque in Italia reperta. Ordo Cryptostigmata (Sarcoptidae). Portici, Italy: Typis Vesuvianae, sumptibus auctoris. 190 pp. + tab i-xv. [p. 70, 85, 123]
Clayton, Dale H. and Price, Roger D. (1999). Taxonomy of the New World Columbicola (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae) from the Columbiformes (Aves), with descriptions of five new species. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 92(5): 675-685. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/92.5.675
Dabert, J. and Alberti, G. (2008). A new species of the genus Coraciacarus (Gabuciniidae, Pterolichoidea) from the huia Heteralocha acutirostris (Callaeatidae, Passeriformes), an extinct bird species from New Zealand. Journal of Natural History 42(43-44): 2763-2776.
Hull, John Edward. (1934). Concerning British Analgidae (Feather-mites). Transactions of the Northern Naturalists' Union 1: 200-206. [erection of the genus Diplaegidia; sometimes given as "1932"]
Koh, Lian Pin, Dunn, Robert R., Sodhi, Navjot S., Colwell, Robert K., Proctor, Heather C. and Smith, Vincent S. (2004). Species Co-Extinctions and the Biodiversity Crisis. Science 305(5690): 1632-1634. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1101101 [Supplementary Material]
Maas, Peter. (2011). Globally Extinct: Arachnids. The Sixth Extinction Website (TSEW). Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20150430124712/http://www.petermaas.nl/extinct/lists/arachnids.htm [Accessed 3 December 2025]
Malcomson, R. O. (1937). Two new Mallophaga. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 30(1): 53-56. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/30.1.53
Poppe, Simon Albrecht. (1888). Über parasitische Milben. Abhandlungen herausgegeben vom Naturwissenschaftlichen Verein zu Bremen [Abh. naturw. Ver. Bremen] 10: 205-240 [219].
Stork, Nigel E. and Lyal, Christopher H. C. (1993). Extinction or 'co-extinction' rates? Nature 366: 307. https://doi.org/10.1038/366307a0
Trouessart, Édouard Louis. (1885). Note sur la classification des Analgésiens et diagnoses d'espèces et des genres nouveaux. Bulletin de la Societe d'Etudes Scientifiques d'Angers 14: 46-89 [51].
Tyrrell, J. B. (1882). On some Canadian ectoparasitic sarcoptids. Transactions of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club [alternative: Transactions - Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club] 3: 43-48 [46].
Walker, E. M. (1913). Insects and their allies, pp. 295-403 [298]. In: Faull, Joseph Horace (ed.). The Natural History of the Toronto Region, Ontario, Canada. Toronto: Canadian Institute.
https://extinctanimals.proboards.com/thread/1762/diplaegidia-gladiator
Possibly relevant references (need to access to check):
Beron, P. (2015). Acarorum Catalogus V: Acariformes: Sarcoptiformes, Astigmata (Series Faunistica Vol. 116). Pensoft. 380 pp.
Gaud, J. and Atyeo, W. T. (1996). Feather mites of the World (Acarina, Astigmata): the supraspecific taxa. Annales du Musee Royale de l'Afrique Central. Serie 8 Sciences Zoologiques 277. Parts 1 and 2.