Gastronyssidae, Fain, 1959

Bochkov, Andre V., Zabludovskaya, Svetlana & Oconnor, Barry M., 2008, Phylogeny and systematics of the endoparasitic astigmatid mites (Acari: Sarcoptiformes) of mammals: families Gastronyssidae, Lemurnyssidae, and Pneumocoptidae, Zootaxa 1951 (1), pp. 1-152 : 6

Family Gastronyssidae

The monobasic genus Gastronyssus Fain, 1955 was established by Fain (1955) for mites living in the stomach of megachiropteran bats ( Pteropodidae ) in the Afrotropical region. Fain (1955) originally included this genus in the bird-associated astigmatid family Laminosioptidae without any explicit rationale. We suppose that the main reason for this placement was the strongly elongate idiosoma and endoparasitic habit in mites of both these groups. Later, Fain (1956) created a new family Gastronyssidae for the genus Gastronyssus and a newly described genus Rodhainyssus Fain, 1956 , with two species from the eye orbits and nasal passages of microchiropteran and megachiropteran bats. Fain (1956) provided an enlarged description and diagnostic characters of this family, comparing the Gastronyssidae to the Laminosioptidae as he believed that the latter taxon was the most closely related family. Mites of the third genus, Opsonyssus Fain, 1959 , were described from the nasal passages of African rhinolophid bats ( Rhinolophidae ) ( Fain 1959d). Simultaneous with the description of this genus, Fain (1959a) revised the family Gastronyssidae , mentioning Opsonyssus as a genus in press, but providing its diagnostic characters and indicating the type species. As the latter publication was published earlier than the full description of Opsonyssus, Fain (1959a) must be considered as the original description for the genus Opsonyssus and its type species. The fourth genus of Gastronyssidae , Mycteronyssus Fain, 1959 with a single species parasitizing African Pteropodidae , was described by Fain (1959c) immediately after the revision of the family. In a subsequent publication, Fain (1964b) included in this family the monobasic genus Yunkeracarus Fain, 1957 , associated with the nasal cavities of rodents, along with a new monobasic genus Sciuracarus Fain, 1964 from the nasal cavities of an Afrotropical squirrel. In his original description Fain (1957a) had placed Yunkeracaraus in the family Epidermoptidae . Fain (1964b) also proposed a new classification of gastronyssid mites ( Fig. 1 ). According to this classification, the gastronyssid genera were arranged into the three subfamilies. The type subfamily Gastronyssinae included a single very peculiar species, Gastronyssus bakeri Fain, 1955 , having a very long idiosoma and strongly modified gnathosoma. The subfamily Rhodhainyssinae included the genera Rodhainyssus , Mycteronyssus , and Opsonyssus , possessing a different shape and number of leg and idiosomal setae, and shortened tarsi that lack pretarsi. The third subfamily Yunkeracarinae included the two genera Yunkeracarus and Sciuracarus . The subfamily Yunkeracarinae was considered as the most ancestral due to the presence in its species of well-developed tarsi and pretarsi on all legs and the more extensive body and leg setation. In his last major paper on Gastronyssidae, Fain (1964b) revised the subfamily Rodhainyssinae , described several new species and established a new monobasic genus, Eidolonyssus Fain, 1964, for Opsonyssus ugandae Fain, 1964 , described from African pteropodids. The eighth, monobasic genus, Phyllosomonyssus Fain, 1970, was placed in the subfamily Rodhainyssinae from Neotropical phyllostomid bats ( Phyllostomidae ) ( Fain 1970). Since this time no other gastronyssid genera have been established, although several new species were described by Fain and other authors, mostly in the genus Yunkeracarus ( Hyland & Clark 1959; Fain et al. 1967; Fain & Lukoschus 1972; Smith et al. 1985; Zabludovskaya 1989, 1990). Krantz (1970) gave family rank to the Yunkeracarinae (as Yunkeracaridae) and placed the taxon in the superfamily Psoroptoidea away from the Gastronyssidae , which he treated in the Cytoditoidea. He later ( Krantz 1978) returned the group to the Gastronyssidae without comments. The monophyly of Fain’s subfamilies, as well as the monophyly of the family Gastronyssidae , need verification, because of the significant morphological variation among its genera and subfamilies.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Hypothesis of relationships between genera of the family Gastronyssidae after Fain (1964b) (formalized, genera described after 1964 added).