Supplementary data – Faunistic, ecological and molecular study of the bird mites Harpirhynchus dusbabeki and Blankaartia acuscutellaris on European passerines – Takács, 2026

Using a multidisciplinary approach combining faunistic, ecological, and molecular methods, this study investigated two mite species that parasitize passerine birds in Hungary, Harpirhynchus dusbabeki and Blankaartia acuscutellaris.

Birds were examined during field sampling conducted between 2022 and 2024 at bird ringing stations and through a nationwide volunteer bird-ringing network. Parasites were identified morphologically, prevalence patterns were analyzed statistically, and mitochondrial genetic data were used to assess phylogenetic relationships. The occurrence of H. dusbabeki was recorded in Hungary for the first time, and its host spectrum was found to extend to multiple host species beyond its previously known primary host, the Bearded Reedling.