Search

This paper reviews the state of knowledge of the feather mites of Australia (Arachnida: Acariformes: Astigmata). The known fauna includes 149 species arranged in 95 genera and 24 families, in the Superfamilies Analgoidea and Pterolichoidea. A checklist of the fauna is provided, including bibliographic details for every species and genus. The bird host and collecting localities are listed for every species, and taxonomic and nomenclatural problems are discussed where necessary. The total fauna may include as many as 800 undescribed species. The checklist is preceded by a brief review of some aspects of the biology of feather mites, which have not been studied in the context of the Australian fauna.The correct spelling for a family of respiratory tract parasites is confirmed as Kytoditidae. Dabertia indistincta (Dabert & Atyeo, 1993) comb. n. (Syringobiidae) and Hemialges australis (Trouessart, 1885) comb. n. (Analgidae) are new combinations proposed herein.

Microspalax ardennae Dubinin, 1949 Microspalax (Microspalax) ardennae Dubinin, 1949: 206. Microspalax ardennae.— Dubinin 1953: 348; Radford 1958: 110; Atyeo & Gaud 1991b: 336. Host and locality in Australia: Puffinus (Ardenna) carneipes, Australia (Dubinin 1949, 1953). Current name of host: Flesh-footed Shearwater, Ardenna carneipes (Gould, 1844) (Procellariiformes: Procellariidae). Notes: Atyeo & Gaud (1991b) discussed the confusion surrounding the host for this species in Dubinin (1949)., Published as part of HALLIDAY, R. B., 2023, Prelude to a study of the feather mites of Australia (Acariformes: Astigmata), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 5280 (1) on page 11, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5280.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7912198, {"references":["Dubinin, V. B. (1949) The fauna of the feather mites occurring on birds belonging to the Order Procellariiformes and its peculiarities. Parazitologicheskii Sbornik, 11, 201 - 228. (in Russian)","Dubinin, V. B. (1953) Feather Mites (Analgesoidea). Part II. Families Epidermoptidae and Freyanidae. Fauna of the USSR, Vol. 6, fasc. 6. Akademia Nauk SSSR, Moscow - Leningrad, 411 pp.","Radford, C. D. (1958) The host-parasite relationships of the feather mites (Acarina: Analgesoidea). Revista Brasiliera Entomologica, 8, 107 - 170.","Atyeo, W. T. & Gaud, J. (1991 b) Microspalacinae, a new subfamily of the feather mite family Alloptidae Gaud (Acarina, Analgoidea). Folia Parasitologica, 38, 327 - 343."]}

Genus Dabertia Özdikmen, 2008 Dabertia Özdikmen, 2008: 222 (replacement name). Longipedia Dabert, 1992: 214 (junior homonym of Longipedia Claus, 1862, Crustacea). Type species: Syringobia tricalcaratus Trouessart & Neumann, 1888: 345, by original designation., Published as part of HALLIDAY, R. B., 2023, Prelude to a study of the feather mites of Australia (Acariformes: Astigmata), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 5280 (1) on page 50, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5280.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7912198, {"references":["Ozdikmen, H. (2008) Nomenclatural changes for a family group name and twelve genus group names in Acari. Munis Entomology and Zoology, 3 (1), 217 - 230.","Trouessart, E. - L. & Neumann, G. (1888) Diagnoses d'especes nouvelles de Sarcoptides Plumicoles (Analgesinae). Bulletin Scientifique de la France et de la Belgique, 19, 325 - 380 + Plates XXII - XXVII."]}

Plutarchusia esaci Dabert, 2003 Plutarchusia esaci Dabert, 2003: S102. Host and locality in Australia: Esacus magnirostris, Port Warrender, Western Australia (Dabert 2003). Current name of host: Beach Stone-curlew, Esacus magnirostris (Vieillot, 1818) (Charadriiformes: Burhinidae)., Published as part of HALLIDAY, R. B., 2023, Prelude to a study of the feather mites of Australia (Acariformes: Astigmata), pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 5280 (1) on page 51, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5280.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7912198, {"references":["Dabert, J. (2003) The feather mite family Syringobiidae Trouessart, 1896 (Acari, Astigmata, Pterolichoidea). I. Systematics of the family and description of new taxa. Acta Parasitologica, 48, S 1 - S 184."]}

Grenieria bicaudata Dabert & Atyeo 1997 (Fig. 8) Material examined — 9 males, 5 females ex Anous stolidus stolidus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Charadriiformes: Laridae), (CAUFSC 00389), Praia do Campeche, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil (lat -27.6893423 long -48.4811854), 27 Feb. 2021, R 3 Animal col. Remarks — This species was described from Anous stolidus pileatus (Scopoli, 1786) from Hawaii (Dabert and Atyeo 1997), and until this date remained the only feather mite reported from terns of the genus Anous Stephens. Grenieria bicaudata is herein reported for the first time after the original description. Syringobiids are normally found inside the quills, but may eventually be found outside of their normal habitat (e.g. Phyllochaeta spp., Gaud and Atyeo 1996). The specimens reported herein were found on the surface of the feathers, rather than inside the quills., Published as part of Hernandes, Fabio Akashi & Brito, Guilherme R. R., 2022, Feather mites (Acariformes: Astigmata) of the brown noddy, Anous stolidus (L.) (Charadriiformes: Laridae), with description of two new species from Brazil, pp. 317-331 in Acarologia 62 (2) on page 328, {"references":["Dabert J., Atyeo WT. 1997. The feather mite genus Grenieria Gaud & Mouchet, 1959 (Acarina, Syringobiidae) I. Systematics and descriptions of species. Mitt. Hamb. Zool. Mus. Inst., 94: 125 - 144.","Gaud J., Atyeo W. T. 1996. Feather mites of the world (Acarina, Astigmata): the supraspecific taxa. Ann. Mus. Roy. Afr. Centr. Sci. Zool., 277: 1 - 193. (text), 1 - 436 (illustrations)."]}

Plutarchusia brachytarsa sp. n. is described from Thalasseus sandvicensis (Laridae), Yucatan. P. pseudochelopus Dubinin 1956, and P. longitarsa (Megnin and Trouessart 1884) are reported for the first time from the New World. A key to the genus is provided.