Meitingsunes, a new genus of quill mites (Acari: Cheyletoidea: Syringophilidae)

Abstract

A new genus of syringophilid mites Meitingsunes gen. nov. (Acari: Cheyletoidea: Syringophilidae) inhabiting quills of columbiform birds is established. The new genus is closely related to Peristerophila Kethley but distinguished from it by the smooth hypostomal apex and divergent apodemes I not fused to apodemes II. This new genus includes one new species, M. aldwelles sp. nov. described from quills of Geotrygon frenata (Tschudi) from Colombia, and two named species moved from Peristerophila: M. tympanistria (Skoracki et Dabert, 2002) comb. nov. and M. zenadourae (Clark, 1964) comb. nov. [type species].

Global Studies of the Host-Parasite Relationships between Ectoparasitic Mites of the Family Syringophilidae and Birds of the Order Columbiformes

“…In the present study, we re-examined the ornithological collections of the columbiform specimens housed in the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Munich, Germany (ZSM) and Museum of Natural History, Nairobi, Kenya (NMK). These bird collections have been previously used as donors of mite species described or recorded in the several published papers (see Skoracki and Dabert [ 40 ]; Skoracki and Glowska [ 37 ]; Glowska and Skoracki [ 39 ], Skoracki [ 22 ]; Skoracki and Hromada [ 41 ]; Skoracki et al [ 47 ]; Kaszewska and Skoracki [ 42 ]; Kaszewska et al [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ]). We also analyzed the host specimens collected from frozen collections housed in several veterinary centers.…”

“…Quill mite fauna associated with the members of Columbiformes comprises 25 quill mite species belonging to the following genera: Meitingsunes Glowska & Skoracki 2010, (8 species), Peristerophila Kethley, 1970 (6 species), Psittaciphilus Fain, Bochkov & Mironov 2000 (2 species), Terratosyrinophilus Bochkov & Pérez 2002, (2 species), and Gunabopicobia Skoracki & Hromada, 2013 (7 species), recorded from 65 bird species belonging to 22 pigeons and doves genera. The quill mites–columbiform fauna was studied by Hirst [ 27 ], Clark [ 28 ], Kethley [ 16 ], Lawrence [ 29 ], Casto [ 30 , 31 ], Bochkov and Mironov [ 32 ], Fain et al [ 33 ], Bochkov and Perez [ 34 ], Bochkov and Fain [ 35 ], Bochkov et al [ 36 ], Skoracki and Glowska [ 37 ], Nattres and Skoracki [ 38 ], Glowska and Skoracki [ 39 ], Skoracki [ 22 ], Skoracki and Dabert [ 40 ], Skoracki and Hromada [ 41 ], Kaszewska and Skoracki [ 42 ], and Kaszewska et al [ 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ].…”

“…The results of this study allowed to addition of another genus to Columbiformes–Psittaciformes hosts group. The last genus associated with columbiforms closely related to Psittaciphilus is Meitingsunes described by Glowska and Skoracki in 2010 [ 39 ]. Type species of this genus— M. zenadourae —was originally described as Syringophilus zenadourae by Clark 1964 [ 28 ].…”

“…In taxonomic revision of syringophilids, Kethley [ 16 ], moved this species to the Peristerophila genus. Finally, Glowska and Skoracki 2010 [ 39 ] based on morphological difference (apodemes I divergent, not fused to apodemes II) established a new genus— Meitingsunes —for this species. In 2011–2020, numerous taxonomic studies added five new quill mite species associated with birds from order Columbiformes.…”

Two new species of quill mites of the family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Cheyletoidea) associated with treronine doves (Columbiformes: Columbidae: Treroninae)

“…Until now, the fauna of syringophilid mites associated with columbiform birds included 11 species of six genera: Castosyringophilus Bochkov and Perez, 2002, Columbiphilus Kivagnov and Sharafat, 1995, Gunabopicobia (Lawrence, 1958, Meitingsunes Glowska and Skoracki, 2010, Peristerophila Kethley, 1970, and Terratosyringophilus Bochkov and Perez, 2002 Up to now, the quill mite fauna has been recorded only from birds of the subfamily Columbinae belonging to nine genera and 19 species (Lawrence 1958;Kivganov and Sharafat 1995;Bochkov and Perez 2002;Glowska and Skoracki 2010;Skoracki et al 2012;Skoracki and Hromada 2013).…”