Syringophilopsis Kethley, 1970

Skoracki, Maciej, 2011, Quill mites (Acari: Syringophilidae) of the Palaearctic region 2840, Zootaxa 2840 (1), pp. 1-414 : 154-155

Genus Syringophilopsis Kethley, 1970

Syringophilopsis Kethley, 1970: 18

Type species: Syringophilus elongatus Ewing, 1911 by original designation.

Diagnosis. FEMALE. Large syringophilids (total body length 800–1350). Gnathosoma . Hypostomal apex with 1– 2 pairs of protuberances and 2 pairs of hypostomal lips. Lateral hypostomal teeth absent. Peritremes M-shaped, each branch with clearly visible chambers. Movable cheliceral digit harpoon-like, each with 3 teeth. Stylophore rounded or constricted posteriorly. Idiosoma . Six pairs of propodonotal setae present arranged 3–1–2 or 3–2–1. Propodonotal shield entire, without pocket-like structures. Two small hysteronotal shields around bases of setae d1 present or absent. Setae d1 closer to e2 than to d2. Setae d1, d2, e2, f2 and h2 long, setae f1 and h1 long or short. Pygidial shield present or absent. All idiosomal setae smooth. Two pairs of pseudanal, 2 pairs of genital and 3 pairs of aggenital setae present. Genital plate absent. Legs. Legs with full complement of setae. Apodemes I divergent and fused with apodemes II.

MALE. Characters as in female except: total body length 600–1000; hypostomal apex with pair of small protuberances or smooth; movable cheliceral digit styletiform, edentate; hysteronotal shield present or absent if present not divided; setae d2 long or short, d1 and e2 short; setae f2 short, h2 long.

Host range. Most species of this genus are associated mainly with hosts of the order Passeriformes : Cardinalidae , Corviidae, Emberizidae , Estrildidae , Fringillidae , Hirundinidae , Icteridae , Laniidae , Motacillidae , Muscicapidae , Parulidae , Passeridae , Ploceidae , Polioptilidae , Pycnonotidae , Sturnidae , Sylviidae , Turdidae , and Tyrannidae . The only two species have been recorded from coraciiform birds of the family Meropidae . In the Palaearctic region these mites are known only from passerines of the families listed in Table 11.

Habitat. Quills of flight feathers: primaries, secondaries, rarely coverts and tertiaries.

Species included. 34 species were described from the Palaearctic, Nearctic, Ethiopian and Neotropical regions ( Table 11). The Palaearctic fauna comprises 18 species: S. acrocephali , S. blaszaki , S. borini , S. caligatus sp. nov., S. fringillae , S. garrulus , S. hirundus , S. kazmierski , S. kirgizorum , S. kristini , S. muscicapus sp. nov., S. nucifragus sp. nov., S. passericus sp. nov. S. rusticus , S. spinolettus , S. sturni , and S. turdus . S. hunanensis is species inquirrenda. All species of this genus have been recently divided into three species groups (see key), i.e.: turdi , fringilla , and elongatus ( Bochkov & Galloway 2004) based on the length ratio of terminal setae f1, f2, h1 and h2.

*—Palaearctic species; **— type host species; p.p.—present paper.