Creagonycha Kethley, 1970

Skoracki, Maciej, 2011, Quill mites (Acari: Syringophilidae) of the Palaearctic region 2840, Zootaxa 2840 (1), pp. 1-414 : 268-270

Genus: Creagonycha Kethley, 1970

Creagonycha Kethley, 1970: 34 .

Type species: Creagonycha lara Kethley, 1970 by original designation.

Diagnosis. FEMALE. Medium to large-sized mites (length 750–1120). Gnathosoma: Hypostomal apex smooth. Two pairs of hypostomal lips present. Lateral hypostomal teeth absent. Peritremes M-shaped, with clearly visible chambers in each branch. Movable cheliceral digit harpoon-like, each with 2 minute teeth. Stylophore rounded or constricted posteriorly. Idiosoma . All idiosomal setae smooth. Six pairs of propodonotal setae present arranged 3– 2–1. Propodonotal shield entire, without pocket-like structures, bearing bases of setae vi, ve, si and c1. Hysteronotal shield absent. Setae d1, d2, e2, h1, h2 and f2 long, setae f1 short. Pygidial shield present. Two pairs of pseudanal and 2 pairs of genital setae present. Aggenital series with 3 pairs of setae. Legs. Legs I–IV subequal in thickness and with full complement of setae. Antaxial and paraxial members of claw pair subequal in size and shape, strongly recurved. Apodemes I divergent, fusion to apodemes II indiscernible, both apodemes similar in shape.

MALE. Characteristics as in females except: total body length 800–860; movable cheliceral digit edentate; stylophore rounded or slightly constricted posteriorly; hysteronotal shield present or absent; setae d2 long or short, d1, e2, f2 short, h2 long.

Host range. This genus is associated with charadriiform birds ( Charadriiformes ) of the families Scolopacidae and Laridae ( Table 16).

Habitat. Quills of secondaries and coverts.

Species included. At present only 3 species were described from the Nearctic (1 species) and Palaearctic (2 species) regions. The Palaearctic fauna includes Creagonycha sternae and C. totani .