Onychalges Gaud and Mouchet, 1959

Grootaert, Patrick, 2014, Revision of the subfamily Onychalginae Fain, 1988 (Acariformes: Pyroglyphidae) — ectoparasites of passerine birds, Zootaxa 3785 (2), pp. 175-200 : 177-178

Genus Onychalges Gaud and Mouchet, 1959

Onychalges Gaud and Mouchet, 1959: 176 (Analgidae) ; Gaud 1968: 300 ( Psoroptidae ); Fain & Rosa 1982: 319; Fain 1988: 21; Gaud & Atyeo 1996: 72 ( Pyroglyphidae ).

Kivuicola Fain, 1971: 4 ; Gaud & Atyeo 1996: 72 ( Pyroglyphidae ), syn. nov.

Neonychalges Gaud, 1983: 517 (Pyroglyphidae) .

Capitonoecius Fain and Gaud, 1984: 51 (Pyroglyphidae) .

Type species: Megninia longitarsa Bonnet, 1924 , by original designation ( Gaud & Mouchet 1959).

Diagnosis. BOTH SEXES. Central sclerite of ambulacral disc with distinctly developed anterior part, shaped as inverted T. Femora I and II with strongly developed dorsal tubers.

MALE. Sheath of aedeagus present or absent. Hysteronotum with pair of narrow lateral sclerotized bands fused posteriorly with hysteronotal shield. Apodemes Ia connected by very narrow bridge in posterior part. Opisthosomal lobes present. Adanal shields without indentations on inner margins. Legs III about 1.5 times thicker than legs IV. Setae s III and w III thickened, bifurcated; setae w IV thickened, trifurcated.

FEMALE. Scapular shields present. Coxal fields II almost closed, other coxal fields opened. Genital papillae located outside of epigynum. Bursa copulatrix variable in form, globular or distinctly elongated. Primary spermaduct smooth. Setae s III and w IV thickened, trifurcated.

Description of immature stages (based on Onychalges pachyspathus ). LARVA ( Fig. 7 ). Gnathosoma with structure typical for Psoroptidia with full complement of setae. Palp 2-segmented with short apical membrane. Pseudorutellar membrane of subcapitulum distinctly developed. Palpal setae dTi, l” and dTa, solenidion ω, eupathidia ul’ and ul”, subcapitular setae elcp and subc present. Propodonotal shield present, bearing median groove in anterior half and pair of small unsclerotized spots (remnants of setal alveoli ve). Hysteronotal shield absent. Openings of hysteronotal glands (gl) distinct. Opisthosomal margin widely rounded. Idiosomal setae: si, se, c1, c2, cp, c3, d1, d2, e1, e2, h2, 1a, and 3a. Subcoxal setae scx present. Setae si and se situated off propodonotal shield; si slightly posterior to se. Apodemes Ia free. Ventro-median sclerites between coxal fields II and III absent. Tarsi I and II bearing dorso-apical spur and additional small straight ventro-apical spur. Legs III with 5 articulated segments. Pretarsi I–III normally developed. Setation of legs I–III: I—tarsus d, e, f, ra, wa, la, s, ba, ω1, very short ε; tibia gT, φ, genu cG, mG, σ 1 I, σ 2 I; femur vF; trochanter without seta; II—tarsus d, e, f, wa, s, ba, ω1; tibia gT, φ, genu cG, mG, σ II; femur vF; trochanter without seta; III—tarsus d, e, f, r, w, s, tibia kT III and φ; other segments of leg III without setae. Solenidion ω 1 I situated subapically, ω 1 II situated in basal part of tarsus; setae s III spur-like with bifurcated apex.

PROTONYMPH ( Fig. 8 ). One pair of genital papillae, setae f2, h3, ps1, ps2, ps3, and g added on idiosoma . Legs IV added, with 5 segments and well developed pretarsus, subequal to legs III. Setae d, w (bifurcated spurlike), and r present on tarsus IV.

TRITONYMPH ( Fig. 9 ). Second pair of genital papillae, setae 4a and 4b added. Subapical solenidion ω3 added on tarsus I, setae pR I and pR II added on trochanters I and II respectively, setae sR III added on trochanter III. Setae w IV filiform. Setae e IV, f IV, and s (bifurcated spur-like) added on tarsus IV; kT IV and φ IV added on tibia IV.

Species included: O. asaphospathus Gaud, 1968 , O. longitarsus ( Bonnet, 1924) , O. nidicola Fain and Rosa, 1982 , O. odonturus Gaud, 1968 , O. pachyspathus Gaud, 1968 , O. schizurus Gaud, 1968 .

Hosts and distribution. Five species are ectoparasites of African Estrildidae (Passeriformes) ( Gaud 1968). One species ( O. nidicola ) was collected from nests of Passer domesticus Linnaeus (Passeridae) in Brazil ( Fain & Rosa 1971). This is probably also a parasitic species whose specimens (2 females) happened to have fallen off the body of the host and into the nest. The record of O. spinitarsis ( Fain and Gaud, 1984) from a museum specimen of Pogoniulus scolopaceus (Bonaparte) ( Piciformes : Lybiidae ) originating from D.R. of the Congo ( Fain & Gaud 1984) needs confirmation.

Remarks. The name Onychalges Gaud, 1958 was proposed by Gaud (1958) as a member of the feather mite family Analgidae without designation of a type species and, therefore, was not valid. The valid name of this genus was provided by Gaud & Mouchet (1959); this paper contains a description of the genus along with designation of its type species ( Megninia longitarsa ). Later, Gaud & Atyeo (1983) replaced Onychalges by Neonychalges Gaud, 1983 , but this was unjustified because the name Onychalges had been already validated by Gaud & Mouchet (1959). In 1968, Gaud described four new species and placed this genus in the subfamily Dermatophagoidinae which he considered belonging to the family Psoroptidae despite Fain’s (1967) placement of this subfamily in the Pyroglyphidae , which was accepted by subsequent acarologists.

Fain (1988) synonymized the monobasic genus Capitonoecius Fain and Gaud, 1984 with Onychalges .

The monobasic genus Kivuicola (known only from females) was described initially in the subfamily Dermatophagoidinae as a subgenus of Sturnophagoides ( Fain 1971) . Later, Fain (1988) raised its status to the full genus and included in the subfamily Onychalginae. We did not find any differences between Onychalges and Kivuicola syn. nov. and consider the latter as a junior synonym of Onychalges .

Figures

FIGURE 7. Onychalges pachyspathus Gaud, 1968, larva. A—dorsal view; B—ventral view; C—leg I in ventral view; D—leg II in ventral view; E—genu-tarsus III in ventral view. Scale bars: 100 Μm = A, B; 50 Μm = C – E.

FIGURE 8. Onychalges pachyspathus Gaud, 1968, protonymph. A—dorsal view; B—ventral view; C—tibia-tarsus IV in ventral view. Scale bars: 100 Μm = A, B; 50 Μm = C.

FIGURE 9. Onychalges pachyspathus Gaud, 1968, tritonymph. A—dorsal view; B—ventral view; C—tarsus III in ventral view; D—tarsus IV in ventral view. Scale bars: 100 Μm = A, B; 50 Μm = C, D.