Abstract
The feather mite Plesialges mimus Trouessart, 1919, briefly described from the White-browed Babbler Pomatostomus superciliosus (Vigors & Horsfield) (Passeriformes: Pomatostomidae), is the only species of the genus Plesialges Trouessart, 1919. In this work, I redescribe this mite species based on the type specimens, transfer it into the genus Hemialges Trouessart, 1895, and provide it with the valid name Hemialges mimus (Trouessart, 1919) comb. n. The genus Plesialges syn. n. is synonymized with the genus Hemialges. A new diagnosis, comments on taxonomy and an updated checklist of species are provided for the genus Hemialges. The transfer of P. mimus to the genus Hemialges created a conflict with the previously named Hemialges mimus Trouessart, 1920 from the Trumpet Manucode, Phonygammus keraudrenii (Lesson & Garnot) (Passeriformes: Paradisaeidae). Hemialges mimus (Trouessart, 1919) comb. n. is now the older homonym within this genus and H. mimus Trouessart, 1920 from the Trumpet Manucode is a junior homonym; here I provide the latter with a new name, Hemialges trouessarti nom. n.
Highlights
The feather mite genus Plesialges Trouessart, 1919 (Analgidae: Analginae) was established by for a single species, Plesialges mimus Trouessart, 1919, collected from the museum skin of a White-browed Babbler, Pomatostomus superciliosus (Vigors & Horsfield) (Passeriformes: Pomatostomidae), from Australia (Trouessart 1919)
It is necessary to note that this genus and species were described once more as new taxa in another paper, in an issue of “Redia” for 1919, which was published two years later (Trouessart and Berlese 1921). Both papers (Trouessart 1919; Trouessart and Berlese 1921) provided the same extremely short diagnoses saying only that the genus Plesialges resembles Analges Nitzsch, 1818 in the form of hyperthrophied legs III, but its male differs in having the pretarsus III in a form of bottle without a neck (l’ambulacre renflée en forme la bouteille depourvue de col), and the opisthosoma entire and much wider (l’abdomen entire et plus développé en largeur que chez Analges)
Ire-examined the type specimens of P. mimus deposited in the collection of the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, one male and one female constituting the entire type series of this species, and have determined that the genus Plesialges corresponds to the taxonomic criteria of the genus Hemialges Trouessart, 1895 and should be included in this genus
Summary
The feather mite genus Plesialges Trouessart, 1919 (Analgidae: Analginae) was established by for a single species, Plesialges mimus Trouessart, 1919, collected from the museum skin of a White-browed Babbler, Pomatostomus superciliosus (Vigors & Horsfield) (Passeriformes: Pomatostomidae), from Australia (Trouessart 1919). It is necessary to note that this genus and species were described once more as new taxa in another paper, in an issue of “Redia” for 1919, which was published two years later (Trouessart and Berlese 1921). Ire-examined the type specimens of P. mimus deposited in the collection of the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, one male and one female constituting the entire type series of this species, and have determined that the genus Plesialges corresponds to the taxonomic criteria of the genus Hemialges Trouessart, 1895 and should be included in this genus. A large claw on tarsus III in P. mimus is the apical process of the tarsal segment proper, which is one of the main diagnostic features of the genus Hemialges; in males of Analges, the apical “claw” of tarsus III is formed by the modified seta s (Gaud 1974; Mironov 2019). I provide a new diagnosis for the genus Hemialges, comments on its taxonomy, and an updated checklist of species including host associations and localities
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