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Examination of 165 rodents trapped in domestic, peridomestic, and feral biotopes of central and southern India revealed the presence of 1,359 mesostigmatid mites. Rodents in central India were infested with 1 species of mite, Laelaps nuttalli; 98% of these mites were recovered from the peridomestic rodent Bandicota bengalensis. Material from the burrow nest of a peridomestic rodent examined in central India revealed the mite, Hypoaspis miles. Rodents from the diverse biotopes of southern India were infested by 8 species of mites: L. nuttalli, Laelaps buxtoni, Laelaps myonyssognathus, Androlaelaps aduncus, Androlaelaps marshalli, Androlaelaps sp. A, Hypoaspis sp. 1, and Hypoaspis sp. 2. Sheep from nearby villages regularly graze in feral biotopes. From the hair of these sheep, 2 species of mesostigmatid mites were recovered, A. aduncus and A. marshalli. The sheep appeared to aid the dispersal of rodent-infesting mites passively. Laelaps nuttalli was the predominant mite species found on the peridomestic rodent B. bengalensis. In both central and southern India, the prevalence, mean intensity, and relative density of this mite were much higher on peridomestic rodents than on domestic and feral rodents. A significant negative correlation was found between the numbers of mites and fleas infesting rodents in central India. A highly significant positive association between A. marshalli and A. aduncus on the feral rodent Tatera indica was recorded. In southern India, the overall prevalence of the 8 species of mites was highest on Mus platythrix. However, the combined prevalence of these mites on 2 feral rodents T. indica and M. platythrix was lower than their prevalence on B. bengalensis. Similarly, the combined values for mean intensity and relative density of these mites on the 2 feral rodents were lower than on the peridomestic rodent B. bengalensis.

We experimentally investigated the effects of two haematophagous ectoparasites, larvae of the blow fly Protocalliphora parorum (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and the mite Dermanyssus hirundinis (Mesostigmata: Dermanyssidae), on the survival, health and growth of nestling house wrens Troglodytes aedon. Nestlings in broods with relatively heavy infestations (> 10 larvae, and hundreds to thousands of mites, per nestling) did not have higher mortality, reduced growth of tarsi and primary feathers, or lower pre-fledging hematocrits than nestlings occupying nests in which parasites were killed with heat

Tinaminyssus juxtamelloi sp. n. is described from the nasal passages of Columba fasciata in New Mexico. The new species is most similar to Tinaminyssus melloi (Castro) 1948 and T. turturi (Fain) 1962, but differs in (1) possessing only 5 pairs of ventral opisthosomal setae, (2) presence of 3 pairs of enlarged setae on the dorsal opisthosoma at the posterolateral margin of the podosomal plate (1 pair) and at the lateral margins of the opisthosomal plate (2 pairs), (3) elongate shape and larger size of the poststigmatic plates, and (4) chaetotaxy and solenidiotaxy of the legs, especially tarsus I with a cluster of 4 solenida and 1 club-shaped solenidion on the apex of the dorsum. The relationships of this with allied species of the genus Tinaminyssus from columbiform birds are briefly discussed.

Protonymphal Dermanyssus gallinae were irradiated with 0.50, 0.75, 1.0, 3.0, and 6.0 krad of gamma radiation and subsequently monitored regarding their developmental, feeding, and mating success. Also, sex ratios of adults treated as protonymphs were recorded as were sex ratios of embryos and F1 adults produced by these adults. Doses up to 1.0 krad did not prevent development of treated protonymphs to the adult stage or stop mating. Three krad reduced the number of treated protonymphs attaining adulthood and 6.0-krad treatment prevented all mites from developing to the adult stage. Egg (embryo) production was normal for mites treated with 0.50 krad, but significantly curtailed by doses of 0.75 krad and greater. Radiation doses used in this study did not appear to affect the normal variable sex ratios observed in untreated mites.

Rallinyssus sorae sp. n. is described from the nasal turbinates of the sora, Porzana carolina, collected in Maryland and Ohio. The new species is most similar to Rallinyssus verheyeni Fain but differs in number of setae on the female ventral opisthosoma, structure of the fixed and movable digits of the male and female chelicerae, chaetotaxy of legs I to IV, and presence of a sternal plate in the male. The taxonomy and host-parasite relationships of the various species of Rallinyssus are discussed.

Sternostoma pirangae sp. n. from the nasal passages of Piranga rubra is described. The new species is most similar to Sternostoma tangarae Fain and Aitken, but differs in having 7 pairs of large cylindrical subapical setae on tarsi II to IV, slightly more rounded podosomal plate which is longer than wide, and 6 solenidions on the sensorial area of tarsus I. New host records are established for Sternostoma lanorium Fain from Lanius ludovicianus, Astrida caprimulgi Fain from Caprimulgus carolinensis, Boydaia spatulata Fain from Sialia sialis, Cytonyssus therae Hyland from Coccyzus americanus, and Turbinoptes strandtmanni Boyd from Tringa solitaria. Also collected were Ptilonyssus sairae Castro from Dendroica pinus, P. japuibensis Castro from Pipilo erythrophthalmus, P. thryothori Pence from Thryothorus ludovicianus, P. hoseini Fain and Aitken from Vireo griseus, P. toxostomae Pence from Toxostoma rufum, Tinaminyssus belopolskii Bregetova from Florida caerulea, Colinoptes cubanensis Fain from Colinus virginianus, Congocoptes furmani Fain from Centurus carolinus, and Cytonyssus troglodyti Pence from Thryothorus ludovicianus. The systematics of the "sairae" species group of the genus Ptilonyssus is discussed and Ptilonyssus constrictus Ford is regarded as a synonym of P. sairae Castro. Examination of some additional specimens of Louisiana birds has revealed several new and additional host and geographic records for nasal mites and a new species, Sternostoma pirangae. The materials and methods, including the designations used in the following descriptions, have been previously outlined (Pence, 1972a). Family Dermanyssidae Subfamily Rhinonyssinae Genus Tinaminyssus Strandtmann and Wharton Strandtmann and Wharton, 1958, Contrib. Inst. Acar. Univ. Md. 4: 161. Synonymy: Domrow, 1969, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales 93: 305. Tinaminyssus belopolskii (Bregetova) Bregetova, 1950, Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 71: 1005. Additional host record: 7 9 9, 1 N from Florida caerulea, little blue heron, Mandeville, La., 15 September 1972, D.B.P. Received for publication 16 April 1973. * Present address: Department of Veterinary and Zoological Medicine, Texas Tech University School of Medicine, Lubbock, Texas 79409. Genus Sternostoma Berlese and Trouessart Berlese and Trouessart, 1889, Bull. Biblioth. Sci. Ouest 2: 128. Sternostoma lanorium Fain Fain, 1956, Rev. Zool. Bot. Afr. 53: 156. New host record: 1 9, 1 8 from Lanius ludovicianus, loggerhead shrike, Mandeville, La., 9 September 1972, D.B.P.

The snake mite was first reported by Metaxa (1823) from specimens taken from snakes in a captive collection in Florence, Italy. Dug~s (1834) discovered the mite in France and suggested its relationship to a bird mite, Dermanyssus aviumn. In 1844 Gervais described and named the snake mite Dermanyssus natricis. M~gnin (1884) later redescribed this mite and erected the genus Ophionyssus, but this generic name was not generally accepted because he apparently mistook the narrow, elongate genito-ventral shield for the genital aperture, but he pointed out that the chelicerae were shear-like rather than stylet-like, as in other Dermanyssidae; and that the dorsal shield was small and did not cover the greater part of the dorsum, as in most of the closely related genera. Hirst (1915) discovered some mites on an American "Couper's snake", probably Drymarchon corais couperi, at the London Zoological Gardens and, on the basis of five adult female specimens, described a new species, Ichoronyssus serpentium, which he admitted might be identical with Ophionyssus natricis (Gervais). Under the name Liponyssus natricis, Berlese (1918) redescribed a snake mite, which he believed to be the same species originally described by Gervais. He stated that the only difference between his mite and that of Hirst's was that the former had only a single dorsal shield while the latter, according to Hirst's description, had two dorsal shields. Hirst and Berlese both pointed out M~gnin's error, but neither accepted his genus Ophionyssus. In a later paper, Hirst (1921a) described as new another species of reptile mite, Liponyssus arabicus, using a single female specimen from a lizard, Agama adramitana Anderson. That same year, Hirst (1921b) reported that he had examined specimens labeled L. natricis, which he had received from Berlese,3 and he stated that Berlese had overlooked the minute posterior dorsal shield which these mites had. After examining these specimens, Hirst stated that L. arabicus was identical with L. natricis, but he still maintained that L. natricis and I. serpentium, which he

Four new species of Hypoaspis (Laelaspis) are described and illustrated. These are: H. moseri from a laboratory culture of Anuroyryllus muticus (DeGeer), Louisiana; H. picketti from citrus litter, Florida; H. johnieae from sand pine litter, Florida; and H. mumai from citrus and sand pine litter, Florida. Thirteen identifiable species are now known from North America and Mexico. A key to the females of these species is included.

A female rattlesnake (3.5 feet long), Crotalus cinereous Le Conte in Hallowell 1852, captured April 28, 1938 near "Salt Creek Canyon" about nine miles northwest of Hitchcock, Oklahoma, harbored 11 lung mites representing an apparently new species of Dermanyssidae. The name Entonyssus ewingi is proposed for this form. The mites, fixed in hot Bouin's fluid, preserved in 70 percent alcohol, cleared in glycerolactophenol (Magath 1916), and temporarily mounted in glycerine for study, appeared to be all females. Eight of them were large, nearly uniform in size and structure, and contained each a large embryo clearly visible in the opisthosoma (Fig. 2). The other three were considerably smaller.

Adults and nymphal stages of Pseudoparasitus thatcheri n. sp., a mite associated with beetles occurring under bark of southern pine trees in Louisiana are described. Generic placement of the species is discussed.

Four African species of Steatonyssus (Acarina: Dermanyssidae) are described from bats: S. longipes, S. calcaratus, S. aelleni, and S. afer, bringing to 12 the known total of African species. All species are represented by females; protonymphal instars are described for the first three; the male is described for the last one. Pellonyssus biscutatus (Hirst, 1922) from an African woodpecker is returned to Steatonyssus. The Ethiopian species of the cosmopolitan genus Steatonyssus (Type: Dermanyssus murinus Lucas, 1840) were reviewed by Zumpt and Till (1954, 1961). Keegan (1956) recorded some Steatonyssus spp. in North Africa. Clark and Yunker (1956) transferred the birdinfesting species to a new genus, Pellonyssus, and with few exceptions the remaining forms are bat parasites. One of the species removed to Pellonyssus by Clark and Yunker was P. biscutatus (Hirst, 1922) from South African woodpeckers (Picidae). We have examined a female specimen of P. biscutatus and, on the basis of a relatively large sternal plate, presence of metasternal setae, and other characters typical of Steatonyssus, restore it to the older combination, Steatonyssus biscutatus. Four new species of African Steatonyssus are described here, bringing the total known from this continent to 12. These are: S. biscutatus (Hirst, 1922); S. brucei Lavoipierre, 1956; S. eos Zumpt and Till, 1954; S. hipposideros Till, 1958; S. murinus (Lucas, 1840); S. natalensis Zumpt and Patterson, 1951; S. nyassae (Hirst, 1922); S. sudanensis (Hirst, 1926); S. longipes sp. n.; S. calcaratus sp. n.; S. afer sp. n.; S. aelleni sp. n. All measurements that follow are in microns and are based on five specimens unless otherwise stated. Steatonyssus longipes, sp. n.