Harpirhynchus quasimodo n. sp. (Acariformes: Harpirhynchidae), a new species parasitizing Molothrus ater (Passeriformes: Icteridae) in Florida, USA

ABSTRACT

A new species, Harpirhynchus quasimodo n. sp., is described from Molothrus ater (Boddeart) (Passeriformes: Icteridae) in Florida, USA. The new species differs from the three other species known in this genus by the presence of a hump-like process at the anterior part of the propodonotum in males. The new species is close to Harpirhynchus dusbabeki Bochkov and Literak, 2006, from Panurus biarmicus (L.) (Passeriformes: Timaliidae) captured in Slovakia. It differs from this species by the following characters: in females and males of H. quasimodo, the body lengths, including gnathosoma, are 500–510 and 390–410 μm, respectively (vs. 410–470 and 285–310 μm in H. dusbabeki); subcapitular setae m are always absent (vs. present or absent in H. dusbabeki); apical segments of legs III and IV bear five or six setae (vs. five setae in H. dusbabeki); and in males, setae vi are 33–35 μm long, or about three times shorter than ve (vs. 4–6 μm long, 9–10 times shorter than ve in H. dusbabeki).

Key words:

• Mites
• bird parasites
• Harpirhynchus quasimodo n. sp.
• Molothrus ater
• systematics
• North America

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This research was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (08-04-90412-Ukr_a) to A.V.B.