Selenonycha Kethley, 1970

Skoracki, Maciej, 2011, Quill mites (Acari: Syringophilidae) of the Palaearctic region 2840, Zootaxa 2840 (1), pp. 1-414 : 276

Genus Selenonycha Kethley, 1970

Selenonycha Kethley, 1970: 31 .

Type species: Selenonycha baltoda Kethley, 1970 by original designation.

Diagnosis. FEMALE. Large-sized quill mites (total body length 930–1360). Gnathosoma . Hypostomal apex with 1 pair of small protuberances. Two pairs of hypostomal lips present. Lateral hypostomal teeth absent. Peritremes Mshaped, with clearly visible chambers in each branch. Movable cheliceral digits harpoon-like, each with 3 teeth. Stylophore rounded posteriorly. Idiosoma . All idiosomal setae smooth. Six pairs of propodonotal setae present arranged 2–1–2–1 or 2–3–1. Propodonotal shield entire, without pocket-like structures, bearing bases of setae vi, ve, si and c1. Hysteronotal shield fused to pygidial shield. Setae d1 closer to d2 than to e2. Hysteronotal and terminal setae long. Setae f2 situated far from level of setae f1. Two pairs of pseudanal, 2 pairs of genital and 3 pairs of aggenital setae present. 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, without basal angle, broadly open. Apodemes I strongly divergent, fused to apodemes II, both similar in shape.

MALE. Characters as in females except: total body length 840; hypostomal apex without protuberances; movable cheliceral digit edentate; hysteronotal setae d1 and e2 short; terminal setae f2 short.

Host range. This genus is associated with charadriiform birds of the families Charadriidae and Laridae .

Habitat. Quills of secondaries and coverts.

Species included. Only two species are known, S. baltoda was described from USA, the second, S. charadriiformicus sp. nov. is described below.