Family ATOPOMELIDAE Gunther, 1942

Museums

Regional Maps

• Atopomelinae Gunther, C.E.M. 1942. Notes on the Listrophoridae (Acarina : Sarcoptoidea). Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 67: 109-110.

Introduction

The Atopomelidae is a family of 47 genera and about 400 species of ectoparasitic mites that occur in the fur of a wide variety of mammals (OConnor 2009). The world fauna was reviewed by Bochkov (2010), and the Australian fauna of 20 genera and 97 species was catalogued and keyed by Domrow (1992). Most Australian species have been collected from marsupials, and a few from rodents.

Several species have been incorrectly recorded from Australia, for a variety of reasons:

Bochkov (2010) listed Austrochirus peroryctes Fain & Bochkov, 2003 as occurring in "Australia", without further qualification. However, that statement is based on a broad concept of the Australian biogeographic region, which includes areas that are not part of Australia as defined here. This species was described from Papua New Guinea and has not been recorded from Australia.

Bochkov (2010) listed Campylochirus pseudocheirus Fain, 1972 (spelled as pseudocehirus) as occurring in "Australia", without further qualification. However, that statement is based on a broad concept of the Australian biogeographic region, which includes areas that are not part of Australia as defined here. This species was described from Papua New Guinea and has not been recorded from Australia.

Fain (1972) described Campylochirus (Campylochiroides) petauricola from two specimens. The male holotype was from New Guinea. The female "allotype" from Gippsland Victoria was transferred to Campylochirus brevicepsicola by Domrow (1992). Campylochirus petauricola has not been recorded from Australia.

Cytostethum mediosquamatum Fain & Domrow, 1975 was incorrectly recorded from Australia by Halliday (1998). This species is known only from Papua New Guinea.

Neolabidocarpus buloloensis was incorrectly recorded from Australia by Halliday (1998). This species is known only from New Guinea.

Bochkov (2010) listed Murichirus maximus Fain, 1975 as occurring in "Australia", without further qualification. However, that statement is based on a broad concept of the Australian biogeographic region, which includes areas that are not part of Australia as defined here. This species was described from New Guinea and has not been recorded from Australia.

Bochkov (2010) listed Cytostethum prosquamatum Fain & Domrow, 1975 as occurring in "Australia", without further qualification. However, that statement is based on a broad concept of the Australian biogeographic region, which includes areas that are not part of Australia as defined here. This species was described from New Guinea and has not been recorded from Australia.

Excluded Taxa

Misidentifications

Atopomelidae: Austrochirus peroryctes Fain & Bochkov, 2003 — Fain, A. & Bochkov, A.V. 2003. New notes on the family Atopomelidae (Acari, Listrophoroidea). Koninklijk Museum voor Midden-Afrika Tervuren Belgie Annalen Zoologische Wetenschappen 291: 1–32

ATOPOMELIDAE: Campylochirus petauricola Fain, 1972 — Fain, A. 1972. Les Listrophorides d'Australie et de Nouvelle-Guinee (Acarina : Sarcoptiformes). Bulletin de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique 48(5): 1-196

Atopomelidae: Campylochirus pseudocheirus Fain, 1972 — Fain, A. 1972. Les Listrophorides d'Australie et de Nouvelle-Guinee (Acarina : Sarcoptiformes). Bulletin de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique 48(5): 1-196

Atopomelidae: Cytostethum mediosquamatum Fain & Domrow, 1975 — Fain, A. & Domrow, R. 1975. The subgenus Metacytostethum Fain (Acari : Atopomelidae): Parasites of macropodid marsupials. Acarologia 16: 719-738

Atopomelidae: Cytostethum prosquamatum Fain & Domrow, 1975 — Fain, A. & Domrow, R. 1975. The subgenus Metacytostethum Fain (Acari : Atopomelidae): Parasites of macropodid marsupials. Acarologia 16: 719-738

Atopomelidae: Murichirus maximus Fain, 1975 — Fain, A. 1975. Diagnoses de nouveaux listrophoroides (Acarina : Astigmates) de Nouvell-Guinee. Bulletin et Annales de la Société Royale Belgique d'Entomologie 111: 183-186

Atopomelidae: Neolabidocarpus buloloensis (Gunther, 1940) — Gunther, C.E.M. 1942. Notes on the Listrophoridae (Acarina : Sarcoptoidea). Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 67: 109-110

General References

Bochkov, A.V. 2010. A review of mammal-associated Psoroptidia (Acariformes: Astigmata). Acarina. Russian Journal of Acarology 18: 99–260

Domrow, R. 1992. Acari Astigmata (excluding feather mites) parasitic on Australian vertebrates: an annotated checklist, keys and bibliography. Invertebrate Taxonomy 6: 1459-1606

Fain, A. 1972. Les Listrophorides d'Australie et de Nouvelle-Guinee (Acarina : Sarcoptiformes). Bulletin de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique 48(5): 1-196

Fain, A. & Bochkov, A.V. 2003. New notes on the family Atopomelidae (Acari, Listrophoroidea). Koninklijk Museum voor Midden-Afrika Tervuren Belgie Annalen Zoologische Wetenschappen 291: 1–32

Halliday, R.B. 1998. Mites of Australia : A Checklist and Bibliography. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing 317 pp.

History of changes