Bubophilus Philips and Norton, 1978

Skoracki, Maciej, 2011, Quill mites (Acari: Syringophilidae) of the Palaearctic region 2840, Zootaxa 2840 (1), pp. 1-414 : 318-319

Genus Bubophilus Philips and Norton, 1978

Bubophilus Philips and Norton, 1978: 900 .

Type species: Bubophilus ascalaphus Philips and Norton, 1978 by original designation.

Diagnosis. FEMALE. Medium-sized quill mites (length 560–770). Gnathosoma . Hypostomal apex without median protuberances. Two pairs of hypostomal lips present. Lateral hypostomal teeth absent. Peritremes Mshaped, with clearly visible chambers in each branch. Movable cheliceral digit with 2–3 minute teeth. Stylophore slightly constricted posteriorly. Idiosoma . All idiosomal setae smooth. Six pairs of propodonotal setae present, arranged 2–1–1–2. Propodonotal shield entire, without pocket-like structures, bearing bases of setae vi, ve, si, se and c1. Hysteronotal shield present or absent, if present fused to pygidial shield. Setae d1, d2, e2, f2 and h2 long, setae f1 and h1 short. Two pairs of pseudanal and 2 pairs of genital setae present. Aggenital series with 3 pairs of setae. Legs. Legs I–IV subequal in thickness. Apodemes I slightly divergent not fused to apodemes II, both apodemes different in size and shape. Antaxial and paraxial members of claw pair subequal in size and shape, basal angles absent. Legs with full complement of setae.

MALE. Characters as in females except: movable cheliceral digit edentate; setae d2 medium-sized, d1, e2, f2 short, h2 long; paragenital series with 2 pairs of setae, apodemes I strongly divergent.

Host range. Mites of this genus are associated with the owls (Strigifomes) of the families Tytonidae and Strigidae , in the Palaearctic region they are known only from Strigidae ( Table 23).

Habitat. Quills of tertiaries, coverts, scapulars, rectrices.

Species included. At present 3 species were described from the Nearctic, Ethiopian and Palaearctic regions. The Palaearctic fauna includes 2 of them: B. asiobius and B. aluconis .