A new feather mite species of the genus proterothrix gaud (Astigmata, Proctophyllodidae) from Ficedula zanthopygia (hay) (Passeriformes: Muscicapidae) in China

Abstract

A new feather mite species Proterothrix megacaula sp. n. is described from the yellow-rumped flycatcher Ficedula zanthopygia (Hay, 1847) (Passeriformes: Muscicapidae) from a suburb of Beijing, China. The new species clearly differs from all known species of the genus Proterothrix Gaud, 1968 by the absence of dorsal setae c1 in both sexes and by having an extremely long whip-like aedeagus in males, the length of which is comparable to the length of the idiosoma. Brief notes on the systematics of the genus Proterothrix are given. Formerly known species of the genus are provisionally arranged into two species groups, wolffi and schizothyra; the new species is a sole representative of the megacaula group. Pterodectes (Proterothrix) hymenostomus Gaud,\n 1968, formerly placed by Park and Atyeo (1971) in the genus Proterothrix, is removed to the genus Neodectes Park et Atyeo, 1971 and given a new name, Neodectes hymenostomus (Gaud, 1968) comb. n.