ORIGINAL ARTICLE Unforeseen biogeographical patterns in a multiple parasite system in

com Aim Understanding the reasons why hosts lose, maintain or swap their parasite burden after colonizing new areas has long intrigued island biogeographers. Using molecular markers, we evaluated parasite biogeography of a multiple parasite system of Apicomplexa protozoans (haemosporidian and coccidian parasites) showing different modes of transmission in the spectacled warbler (Sylvia conspicillata), a small passerine with recently founded populations in Macaronesia. Location Twelve oceanic islands of three Macaronesian archipelagos (Madeira, the Canary Islands and Cape Verde) and two continental areas (the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco). Methods We amplified and sequenced fragments of the parasite mitochon-drial genome (cytochrome b for haemosporidian and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I for coccidian parasites) to determine the prevalence, richness, diver