New genera and species of feather mites of the family Gabuciniidae (Astigmata: Pterolichoidea) from New World raptors (Aves: Falconiformes)

Abstract

AbstractWe describe four new species of feather mites of the family Gabuciniidae collected from Accipitridae and Falconidae (Falconiformes) from South and North America. Three of these belong to new genera, Metagabuciniagen. nov. with one new species and Proaposolenidiagen. nov. with two new species. We also describe one new species of the genus Aposolenidia Gaud and Atyeo. The new species and host records are Aposolenidia striatasp. nov. from the pearl kite, Gampsonyx swainsonii Vigors, Metagabucinia caracaraesp. nov. from the red-throated caracara, Ibycter americanus (Boddaert), Proaposolenidia accipitrissp. nov. from the Cooper’s hawk, Accipiter cooperii (Bonaparte), and Proaposolenidia elanoidessp. nov. from the swallow-tailed kite, Elanoides forficatus (Linnaeus). Aposolenidia, Metagabucinia, and Proaposolenidia constitute a morphologically distinct group within the Gabuciniidae. This “Aposolenidia genus group” is characterized by the following features: bases of epimerites of legs I and II inflated, ball-shaped, heavily sclerotized, and connected by sclerotized dorsolateral bridges; tarsi of legs I and II with dorsal walls strongly thickened and dorsobasal part of tarsus I inflated. Members of this group coexist on falconiforms with other gabuciniid taxa that exhibit longer and more extensively sclerotized bodies, such as the genera Aetacarus Gaud and Atyeo, Hieracolichus Gaud and Atyeo, and Ramogabucinia Gaud and Atyeo.