Feather mites of the genus Montesauria oudemans (Astigmata: Proctophyllodidae) associated with starlings (Passeriformes: Sturnidae) in the Indo-Malayan region, with notes on the systematics of the genus

Abstract

Species of the feather mite genus Montesauria Oudemans, 1905 associated with starlings (Sturnidae) in the Indo-Malayan region are reviewed: Montesauria acridothera sp.n. is described from the common myna Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus); two previously known species, M. mainati (Trouessart, 1885) from the hill myna Gracula religiosa Linnaeus and M. pachypa (Gaud, 1968) from the Rennell starling Aplonis insularis Mayr, are redescribed. Based on the examination of most known species of Montesauria, a subdivision of the genus into species groups is proposed for the first time. The genus Montesauria in current taxonomic limits consists of two major species complexes characterized by the presence or absence of lateral idiosomal setae f2 in both sexes; in turn, each complex includes several species groups. The species complex characterized by the presence of setae f2 includes the heterocaula, papillo, emberizae, dolichodectina, and listroprocta groups; the complex characterized by the absence of setae f2 includes t e cylindrica, pachypa, merulae and jesionowski groups. All recognized groups are provided with uniform morphological diagnoses. Species composition of Montesauria in the sense of Park and Atyeo (1971) is partly revised: Montesauria holothyra (Gaud, 1952) is moved to the genus Alaudicola Mironov, 1996 and given a valid name Alaudicola holothyra (Gaud, 1952) comb. n.; and M. trulla (Trouessart, 1885) is suggested to return to the genus Pterodectes Robin, 1877.