title: Feather mites of the genus Zachvatkinia Dubinin, 1949 (Astigmata: Analgoidea: Avenzoariidae) from Saudi Arabia: A new species and two new records.
abstract: Feather mites of the family Avenzoariidae (Acari: Astigmata: Analgoidea) are recorded for the first time in Saudi Arabia. A new avenzoariid species, Zachvatkinia (Zachvatkinia) repressae sp. n. (Avenzoariidae: Bonnetellinae), is described from the White-cheeked Tern, Sterna repressa Hartert, 1916 (Charadriiformes: Stemidae). The new species belongs to the sternae group and is closely related to Z (Z.) chlidoniae Mironov, 1989a. Two more species, Z. (Z.) dromae Mironov, 1992 and Z. (Z.) sternae (Canestrini & Fanzago, 1876), were collected from the Crab Plover Dromas ardeola Paykull, 1805 (Charadriiformes: Dromadidae) and the Sooty Gull Ichthyaetus hemprichii (Bruch, 1853) (Charadriiformes: Laridae), respectively. Among the 18 described species of Zachvatkinia Dubinin, 1949, including the new species, this is the fifth species recorded from a sternid host. The remaining 13 nominal species are associated with birds of the families Diomedeidae, Dromadidae, Hydrobatidae, Laridae, Pelecanoididae, Procellariidae and Stercorariidae. A checklist of world species of Zachvatkinia with data on their distribution and type hosts is also provided.
authors.affiliation: Acarology Laboratory, Department of Plant Protection, College of Food & Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, P.O. Box 2460, Saudi Arabia. waleednegm@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Mohamed W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Negm
authors.forename: Mohamed G E-D
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Nasser
authors.forename: Fahad J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Alatawi
authors.forename: Azzam M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Al Ahmad
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shobrak
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D046091:Charadriiformes / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008925:Mites / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification*; D012529:Saudi Arabia