Blankaartia gracilis Vercammen-Grandjean, 1960

Stekolnikov, Alexandr A., 2018, African chiggers (Acariformes: Trombiculidae) in the collection of Alex Fain, with a description of a new genus and three new species, Acarologia 58 (2), pp. 265-286 : 280

Blankaartia gracilis Vercammen-Grandjean, 1960

Material examined — 4 larvae (in 1 slide, IRSNB) from Actophilornis africanus (Gmelin) ( Charadriiformes : Jacanidae ), DR CONGO, North Kivu Province, Vitshumbi, 0°42′18′′S, 29°22′18′′E, Mar. 1957.

Remarks — This species was known only from its type series collected from Ardeola ralloides (Scopoli) ( Pelecaniformes : Ardeidae ) in Mozambique (near Limpopo River mouth). Here it is recorded outside the type locality, in DR Congo and on Actophilornis africanus for the first time.

Blankaartia gracilis is probably identical with B. ardeae (Trägårdh, 1905) described from Ardea cinerea L. ( Pelecaniformes : Ardeidae ) in Sudan (White Nile), as one can conclude on the base of its redescription made by Oudemans (1912). However, this redescription is somewhat incomplete (metric data include only length and width of idiosoma and scutum, and lengths of legs). Comparison of type specimens is urgently needed, but places of type deposition are currently unknown for both species ( Stekolnikov 2018).