Krantziaulonastus, Skoracki, 2011

Skoracki, Maciej, 2011, Quill mites (Acari: Syringophilidae) of the Palaearctic region 2840, Zootaxa 2840 (1), pp. 1-414 : 128

Genus Krantziaulonastus gen. nov.

Type species: Aulonastus buczekae Skoracki, 2004 designated here.

Diagnosis. FEMALE. Small to medium-sized syringophilids, total body length 405–580. Gnathosoma . Hypostomal apex rounded, without protuberances. Lateral hypostomal teeth absent. Peritremes M-shaped. Movable cheliceral digit edentate. Stylophore rounded posteriorly. Idiosoma . Five pairs of propodonotal setae present (vi — absent), arranged 2–1–2. Propodonotal shield entire, without pocket-like structures, bearing bases of setae ve, si, and c1, setae se situated on or near this shield. Setae c1 and se situated at same transverse level or setae c1 located slightly anterior to level of setae se. Hysteronotal shield present or absent, if present fused or not to pygidial shield. Setae d1 closer to d2 than to e2. Hysteronotal setae d1, d2 and e2 long or short. Terminal setae f2 long or short, h2 long, f1 and h1 short. All idiosomal setae smooth. Pseudanal setal series represented by 1 pair (ps2 absent). Genital setal series represented by 2 pairs. Genital plate present or absent. Aggenital series with 3 pairs of setae. Legs. Legs I–IV subequal in thicknes and size. Antaxial and paraxial members of claw pair subequal in size and shape, without basal angle. Apodemes I parallel, not fused with apodemes II. Setae dTIII–IV absent.

MALE. Characteristics as in female except: total body lengths 325; propodonotal setae setae se situated slightly anterior to level of setae c1; aggenital series with 2 pairs of setae (ag3 absent); hysteronotal setae d1, d2 and e2 short; setae f2 short, h2 short or long; apodemes I slightly divergent.

Differential diagnosis. This genus is closely related to the three genera, Neoaulonastus , Aulonastus and Galliphilopsis . All these four genera form a Aulonastus generic complex established here. The genera of this complex are distinguished from all others genera in the subfamily Syringophilinae by the presence of the unornamented hypostomal apex; 5 pairs of the propodonotal setae (vi absent), and the absence of leg setae dTIII and dTIV. Krantziaulonastus gen. nov. is distinguished from above mentioned genera of the complex by the combination of the following characters in both sexes. In Krantziaulonastus , one pair of the pseudanal setae is present; leg setae l’RI, l’RII and dTII are present. In Neoaulonastus , two pairs of the pseuadanal setae are present. In Aulonastus , setae l’RI and l’RII are absent; in Galliphilopsis , setae dTII are absent.

Host range. Mites of this genus are associated with passeriform birds of the families Sturnidae , Estrildidae and piciform hosts of the family Galbulidae ( Table 9).

Habitat. Quills of coverts and body feathers.

Etymology. This generic name is dedicated to a prominent acarologist Prof. Gerald W. Krantz (Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA).

Species included. This genus includes three species known from the Palaearctic region, K. buczekae comb. nov., K. lonchurus sp. nov. and K. oryzivorus sp. nov., and one species from the Neotropic region, K. galbulicus comb. nov. ( Table 9).