title: A new genus and two new species of chigger mites (Acari: Trombiculidae) from the Laotian rock-rat Laonastes aenigmamus Jenkins, Kilpatrick, Robinson & Timmins (Rodentia: Diatomyidae).
abstract: A new chigger mite genus Laotrombicula n. g. and two new species, Laotrombicula khunboromi n. sp. (type-species) and L. fangumi n. sp., are described from the Laotian rock-rat Laonastes aenigmamus Jenkins, Kilpatrick, Robinson & Timmins (Rodentia: Diatomyidae). The new genus is most similar to Trombiculindus Radford, 1948 and Leptotrombidium Nagayo, Miyagawa, Mitamura & Imamura, 1916 and differs from these genera by having the scutum of subhexagonal or semicircular shape vs widely rectangular; pinnatifid dorsocentral idiosomal setae vs foliaceous in Trombiculindus and unexpanded in Leptotrombidium; and by the presence of serrated longitudinal crests in the middle part of scutum.
authors.affiliation: Zoological Institute, Universitetskaya Embankment 1, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia, trombicula@mail.ru.
authors.forename: Alexandr A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Stekolnikov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007812:Laos; D012377:Rodentia / Q000469:parasitology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014324:Trombiculidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification*