A systematic review of the feather mite genus Pteroherpus GAUD, 1981 (Astigmata: Pteronyssidae)

摘要

A systematic review of the feather mite genus Pteroherpus GAUD, 1981 is given, including improved diagnoses of the genus and speciesgroups, a key to known species, and description of three new species. In total, the genus currently includes 18 valid species arranged into four species-groups (diploplax, josephi, hoplophorus, and nicator) and one species inquerenda, Pteroherpus aciaepigynius GAUD, 1964. Pteroherpus oxyplax (GAUD & MOUCHET, 1959) is synonymized with P. pollens (BERLESE, 1886). New species are described from African passerines as follows: Pteroherpus chlorocichlae sp.n. from Chlorocichla simplex (HARTLAUB, 1855) ( Pycnonotidae), gabonensis sp. n. from Pycnonotus barbatus gabonensis SHARPE, 1871 (Pycnonotidae) and P turdoides sp. n. from Turdoides jardineii (SMITH A., 1836) (Timalidae). Host-parasite associations of Pteroherpus species are briefly discussed. The hoplophorus and nicator species-groups are almost entirely associated with bulbuls (Pycnonotidae) with only one species from the hoplophorus group, P. hipposathes (TROUESSART, 1887), occurring on birds of paradise (Paradisaeidae). The diploplax group is distributed on warblers of the Old World, babblers and white eyes (Sylvioidea: Sylviidae, Timaliidae, and Zosteropidae). The sole species of the josephi group occurs on Muscicapidae ( Muscicapoidea). It is hypothesized that the genus Pteroherpus probably originated from the common ancestor of the sylvioid families Pycnonotidae, Sylviidae, Timaliidae, and Zosteropidae.