Syringophilid mites (Acari: Syringophilidae) associated with the rails (Aves: Rallidae) and a key to the species of the genus Rafapicobia Skoracki, 2011

• Published in: Systematic parasitology Vol. 88; no. 3; pp. 227 - 232
• Main Authors: Skoracki, Maciej, Unsoeld, Markus, Skorupski, Maciej, Kavetska, Katarzyna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01-07-2014; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Animal Anatomy; Animal Ecology; Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Bird Diseases - parasitology; Birds - parasitology; Female; Histology; Life Sciences; Male; Mite Infestations - parasitology; Mites - anatomy & histology; Mites - classification; Morphology; Species Specificity; Zoology; Transverse Level; Hysteronotal Shield; Small Tubercle; Cuticular Striation; Genital Plate
• ISSN: 0165-5752; 1573-5192
• DOI: 10.1007/s11230-014-9502-7

The fauna of quill mites of the family Syringophilidae Lavoipierre, 1953 (Acari: Prostigmata Cheyletoidea) parasitising birds of the family Rallidae Vigors (Gruiformes) is updated. A new species,
Rafapicobia melzeri
n. sp. (subfamily Picobiinae), is described from four host species:
Rallus aquaticus
Linnaeus (type-host) from Germany,
Pardirallus sanguinolentus
(Swainson) from Chile,
Porzana porzana
(Linnaeus) from France and
P.
parva
(Scopoli) from Kirghizia. The new species is most similar to
R. lepidocolaptesi
Skoracki & Solarczyk, 2012 but differs in the absence of agenital plates and the length ratios of setae
ag2
:
g1
and
vi
:
ve
:
si
in females and in the punctate ornament on the hysteronotal and the pygidial shields in males. A key to the species of the genus
Rafapicobia
is proposed. This is the first record of a representative of the subfamily Picobiinae on gruiform birds. Additionally, new rallid hosts are reported for
Charadriphilus ralli
Skoracki & Bochkov, 2010 (subfamily Syringophilinae):
Gallinula melanops
(Vieillot) from Chile,
Laterallus melanophaius
(Vieillot) from Paraguay, and
P.
parva
(Scopoli) from Kirghizia.