Syringophiloidus Kethley, 1970

Skoracki, Maciej, 2011, Quill mites (Acari: Syringophilidae) of the Palaearctic region 2840, Zootaxa 2840 (1), pp. 1-414 : 35-38

Genus Syringophiloidus Kethley, 1970

Syringophiloidus Kethley, 1970: 48 .

Type species: Syringophilus bipectinatus minor Berlese, 1887 by original designation.

Diagnosis. FEMALE. Medium-sized syringophilids (total body length 550–925). Gnathosoma . Hypostomal apex without protuberances. Lateral hypostomal teeth absent. Peritremes M-shaped with clearly visible chambers, number of chambers of medial branch variable, 2–3 elongated chambers or 5–8 bead like chambers; lateral branch with 7–12 chambers. Movable cheliceral digit edentate. Stylophore rounded posteriorly. Idiosoma . Six pairs of smooth or serrate propodonotal setae present, arranged 2–1–1–2. Propodonotal shield entire and rectangular in shape, without pocket-like structures, bearing bases of setae vi, ve, si, c1 and se. Hysteronotal shield present, fused or not to pygidial shield. Hysteronotal setae d1, d2 and e2 long. Setae d1 closer to d2 than to e2. Pygidial shield present or absent. Terminal setae f2 and h2 long, f1 and h1 short. Each of pseudanal and genital setal series represented by 2 pairs. Aggenital series with 3 pairs of setae. Genital plate present or absent. Legs. Legs I slightly thicker than II–IV. Antaxial and paraxial members of claw pair subequal in size and shape, without basal angle. Apodemes I parallel, not fused to apodemes II. Setae dGII and vsII absent.

MALE. Characteristics as in female except: total body length 400–605; all setae on propodonotum smooth; setal pattern of propodonotal region arranged 2–1–2–1 or 2–1–1–1–1; hysteronotal shield present or absent, fused or not to pygidial shied; hysteronotal setae short; terminal setae f2 short, h2 long; 2 pairs of aggenital setae present (ag3 absent); apodemes I divergent.

Host range. This genus is associated mainly with passeriform birds of the families Artamidae , Bombycillidae , Cardinalidae , Corviidae, Estrildidae , Emberizidae , Fringillidae , Hirundinidae , Icteridae , Laniidae , Oriolidae , Parulidae , Passeridae , Ploceidae , Rhinocryptidae , Sturnidae , Turdidae , Thraupidae , and Troglodytidae . Only 2 species have been reported from non-passeriform birds: S. cypsiuri Fain et al. 2000 described from Cypsiurus parvus (Lichteinstein) ( Apodiformes : Apodidae ) and S. carolae Skoracki et al., 2009 from Melanerpes formicivorus (Swainson) ( Piciformes : Picidae ). In the Palaearctic region, members of this genus parasitize only passerine hosts ( Table 5).

Habitat. Quills of secondaries, coverts tertials and rectrices.

Species included. 29 species described from the Palaearctic, Nearctic, Neotropic, Ethiopian, and Oriental regions. At present, 16 species of the genus Syringophiloidus are known from the Palaearctic region: S. bombycillae , S. carpodaci , S. coccothraustes sp. nov., S. delichonum , S. erythrurus , S. glandarii , S. hirundinis , S. klimovi , S. minor , S. montanus , S. oriolus , S. parapresentalis sp. nov., S. petronicus sp. nov., S. philomelosus sp. nov., S. presentalis , and S. weiszii .

This genus can be divided into two major groups of species characterized by the number and shape of chambers in medial branch of the peritremes. Species belonging to the group minor have the medial branch with numerous bead-like chambers, whilst species from group glandarii have 2–3 elongated chambers in the each medial branch of the peritremes.