Family PTEROLICHIDAE Trouessart & Mégnin, 1884

Museums

Regional Maps

• Pterolichidae Trouessart, E.L. & Mégnin, P. 1884. Sur le polymorphisme sexuel et larvaire des Sarcoptides plumicoles. Comptes Rendus (Hebdomadaires) des Séances de l'Academie des Sciences. Série D. Sciences Naturelles 97: 1319-1321.

Introduction

The feather mite family Pterolichidae includes 92 genera and hundreds of species that occur on all major groups of birds (Gaud & Atyeo 1996; OConnor 2009). This is the biggest and most diverse family of feather mites in Australia, with 32 species in 19 genera. Recent research has highlighted the diverse fauna that occurs on Australian parrots (e.g. Mironov et al. 2003; Dabert et al. 2006).

Two species that were previously reported from Australia are now excluded. Apexolichus velifer (Trouessart, 1899) is here excluded from occurrence in Australia. The Australian record of this species was the result of a very confusing and complicated series of taxonomic actions by Trouessart, as described in detail by Dabert et al. (2008). Loriprotolichus charmosynae Mironov & Dabert (2007) was described from New Guinea, and incorrectly recorded from Australia by Dabert et al. (2008).

Excluded Taxa

Misidentifications

Pterolichidae: Apexolichus velifer (Trouessart, 1899) — Trouessart, E.L. 1899. Diagnoses préliminaires d'espèces nouvelles d'acariens plumicoles. Additions et corrections a la sous-famille des Analgésinés. Bulletin de la Société d'Etudes Scientifiques d'Angers 28: 1-62 pl. 1

Pterolichidae: Loriprotolichus charmosynae Mironov & Dabert, 2007 — Mironov, S.V. & Dabert, J. 2007. Three new feather mite genera of the Protolichus generic group (Astigmata, Pterolichidae) from parrots (Aves, Psittaciformes) of the Old World. Acta Parasitologica 52: 386–402

General References

Dabert, J., Mironov, S.V. & Ehrnsberger, R. 2008. Systematic revision of the feather mite genera Apexolichus Gaud et Atyeo and Titanolichus Gaud et Atyeo (Astigmata, Pterolichidae), parasites of parrots of the Old World (Psittaciformes, Psittacidae). Acta Parasitologica 53: 46–80

Dabert, J., Mironov, S.V. & Proctor, H. 2006. A new species of the feather mite genus Titanolichus Gaud & Atyeo, 1996 (Acari: Astigmata: Pterolichidae) from the endangered orange-bellied parrot Neophema chyrsogaster (Aves: Psittaciformes) from Australia. Australian Journal of Entomology 45: 206–214

Gaud, J. & Atyeo, W.T. 1996. Feather mites of the world (Acarina, Astigmata) The supraspecific taxa. Annales du Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale Tervuren Belgique 277: Pt I, 1-193, Pt II, 1-436

Mironov, S.V., Dabert, J. & Proctor, H.C. 2003. New feather mites of the family Pterolichidae (Acari: Pterolichoidea) from parrots (Aves: Psittaciformes) in Australia. Australian Journal of Entomology 42: 185–202

OConnor, B.M. 2009. Cohort Astigmatina. pp. 565–657 in Krantz, G.W. & Walter, D.E. (eds). A Manual of Acarology. Lubbock, Texas : Texas Tech University Press Third edition, 807 pp.

History of changes