Onychalges spinitarsis ( Fain and Gaud, 1984 )

Grootaert, Patrick, 2014, Revision of the subfamily Onychalginae Fain, 1988 (Acariformes: Pyroglyphidae) — ectoparasites of passerine birds, Zootaxa 3785 (2), pp. 175-200 : 194

Onychalges spinitarsis ( Fain and Gaud, 1984)

Capitonoecius spinitarsis Fain and Gaud, 1984: 53 , figs. 7, 8. Onychalges spinitarsis, Fain 1988: 21 .

Redescription. FEMALE (holotype, based on original description by Fain & Gaud [1984]). Body, including gnathosoma, 335 long and 215 wide. Idiosoma . Dorsal striae fine. Hysteronotal shield absent. Bursa copulatrix unclearly depicted (p. 53: fig. 7). Lengths of setae: si 18, se 200, c2 100, d2 30, e2 20, f2 25, h2 240, and ps1 20.

Type material (not examined). Holotype female and paratype female from Pogoniulus scolopaceus (Bonaparte) ( Piciformes : Lybiidae ) ( MRAC 122.860), R of the CONGO: Region des Plateaux, Lima, 1°21'10”S, 15°30'27”E, 19 February 1961, coll. unknown.

Remarks. This species was described from two females collected from a museum specimen of Pogoniulus scolopaceus ( Fain & Gaud 1984) . The type depository for this species was not designated, but it should be MRAC. However we did not find these specimens there or in the IRSNB (collection of A. Fain) and think that they are probably lost. The male of this species is unknown, its original description is incomplete, and some setae are broken on the type specimens. According to the original description, these specimens are close to females of O. pachyspathus ; however, an additional record from the type host is necessary to clarify the taxonomical status of this species and to exclude a possibility of museum contamination. We consider it as a species inquirenda.