Amerodectes Valim & Hernandes, 2010

Hernandes, Fabio Akashi, Pedroso, Luiz Gustavo A. & Oniki-Willis, Yoshika, 2016, Five new feather mites of the subfamily Pterodectinae (Acariformes: Astigmata: Proctophyllodidae) from passerines and hummingbirds (Aves) of Brazil, Zootaxa 4161 (3), pp. 301-328 : 303

Genus Amerodectes Valim & Hernandes, 2010

Type species: Proctophyllodes (Pterodectes) gracilis Trouessart, 1885 , by original designation.

Among the Pterodectes generic complex, which currently includes seven genera ( Pterodectes Robin, 1877 , Amerodectes Valim & Hernandes, 2010 , Berladectes Valim & Hernandes, 2008, Cotingodectes Valim & Hernandes, 2008 , Metapterodectes Mironov, 2008 , Tyrannidectes Mironov, 2008 , and Hemitriccodectes Hernandes, 2013), Amerodectes is the most species-rich genus, currently comprising 28 species including the two species described below ( Trouessart 1885; Stoll 1893; Berla 1958, 1973; Černý 1974; OConnor et al. 2005; Mironov et al. 2008; Valim & Hernandes 2010; Mironov & Gonzalez-Acuña 2011, 2014; Mironov & OConnor 2014; Mironov & Overstreet 2015). Nevertheless, the genus is certainly much more diverse than currently known. Park & Atyeo (1971a) erected the subfamily Pterodectinae and redefined the genus Pterodectes based on 9 described and about 90 undescribed species. Mironov (in Mironov et al. 2008) erected two closely related genera, Tyrannidectes Mironov, 2008 and Metapterodectes Mironov, 2008 , distinguished from Pterodectes based on the absence of trochanteral seta sR III and genual solenidion σ on legs III. Valim & Hernandes (2010) revised the genus Pterodectes and erected a new genus, Amerodectes Valim & Hernandes, 2010 to accommodate species with the following features: setae sR III and solenidion σ III are present, epimerites I are fused but never form a long sternum, setae c2 are situated off the hysteronotal shield, and in female setae h2 are dagger-like (with or without terminal filament). Undetermined species of Amerodectes and related pterodectines are often reported in the faunistic literature on bird-associated mites of the Neotropical region ( Roda & Farias 1999; Lyra-Neves et al. 2003; Reeves et al. 2007; Kanegae et al. 2008; Valim et al. 2011; Barreto et al. 2012; Enout et al. 2012; Galloway et al. 2014; Daud et al. 2015; Silva et al. 2015).

Hosts of Amerodectes are New World passerines of 11 families: Emberizidae , Cardinalidae , Thraupidae , Parulidae , Furnariidae , Icteridae , Tyrannidae , Turdidae , Troglodytidae , and Mimidae . Silva et al. (2015) also reported undetermined Amerodectes species from Vireonidae .