title: Syringophilid mites (Acari: Syringophilidae) associated with the rails (Aves: Rallidae) and a key to the species of the genus Rafapicobia Skoracki, 2011.
abstract: The fauna of quill mites of the family Syringophilidae Lavoipierre, 1953 (Acari: Prostigmata Cheyletoidea) parasitising birds of the family Rallidae Vigors (Gruiformes) is updated. A new species, Rafapicobia melzeri n. sp. (subfamily Picobiinae), is described from four host species: Rallus aquaticus Linnaeus (type-host) from Germany, Pardirallus sanguinolentus (Swainson) from Chile, Porzana porzana (Linnaeus) from France and P. parva (Scopoli) from Kirghizia. The new species is most similar to R. lepidocolaptesi Skoracki & Solarczyk, 2012 but differs in the absence of agenital plates and the length ratios of setae ag2:g1 and vi:ve:si in females and in the punctate ornament on the hysteronotal and the pygidial shields in males. A key to the species of the genus Rafapicobia is proposed. This is the first record of a representative of the subfamily Picobiinae on gruiform birds. Additionally, new rallid hosts are reported for Charadriphilus ralli Skoracki & Bochkov, 2010 (subfamily Syringophilinae): Gallinula melanops (Vieillot) from Chile, Laterallus melanophaius (Vieillot) from Paraguay, and P. parva (Scopoli) from Kirghizia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Morphology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Faculty of Biology, Umultowska 89, 61-614, Poznan, Poland, skoracki@amu.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Skoracki
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Unsoeld
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Skorupski
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kavetska
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000469:parasitology; D001717:Birds / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008924:Mite Infestations / Q000469:parasitology; D008925:Mites / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification*; D013045:Species Specificity