Neodectes Park and Atyeo, 1971

Mironov, Sergey V. & Proctor, Heather C., 2023, New feather mites of the genus Neodectes (Acariformes: Proctophyllodidae) from honeyeaters (Passeriformes: Meliphagidae) in Australia, Zootaxa 5330 (3), pp. 349-374 : 351-352

Genus Neodectes Park and Atyeo, 1971

Type species: Proctophyllodes (Pterodectes) securiclatus Trouessart and Neumann, 1888 , by original designation.

The feather mite genus Neodectes was established in the generic revision of the subfamily Pterodectinae ( Park & Atyeo 1971) and originally included two species, Neodectes manicatus ( Trouessart, 1885) and N. securiclatus ( Trouessart and Neumann, 1888) . Later on, Mironov et al. (2008) included in this genus one more species, N. hymenostomus ( Gaud, 1968) , which was transferred from the genus Proterothrix Gaud, 1968 . Finally, Mironov and OConnor (2017) described the fourth species, N. pilgrimi Mironov and OConnor, 2017 . The three first Neodectes species are associated with honeyeaters ( Meliphagidae ) in Australia and the Indo-Malayan region ( Trouessart 1885; Trouessart & Neumann 1888; Gaud 1968); the fourth occurs on New Zealand wrens ( Acanthisittidae ) ( Mironov & OConnor 2017).

Within the subfamily Pterodectinae , the genus Neodectes belongs to the Proterothrix generic group, which unites eight morphologically primitive genera of this subfamily and is characterized by the anteromesal position of setae ps3 relative to the adanal suckers in males. This group is also referred to as the ‘archaic’ pterodectines associated with passerines (Mironov 2009; Mironov & Proctor 2009; Mironov & Wauthy 2010; Mironov et al. 2012; Hernandes & Valim 2012, 2014; Mironov & Tolstenkov 2013; Constantinescu et al. 2014, 2018; Mironov & Galloway 2021). The main diagnostic feature differentiating Neodectes from other genera of the Proterothrix group is the position of the male genital papillae at the level of the genital arch base, while in all remaining representatives of this group, these papillae are situated anterolateral to the genital arch branches.

Studying new species and comparing them with previously known mites of the Proterothrix generic group, we have found that Proterothrix dicranochaeta Gaud, 1968 corresponds to generic characteristics of the genus Neodectes rather than to Proterothrix . Therefore, we transfer herein P. dicranochaeta to the genus Neodectes and provide it with a new name Neodectes dicranochaetus ( Gaud, 1968) comb. n. In total, including the five new species described herein, the genus Neodectes comprises ten species ( Table 1 ). The majority of currently known species are associated with honeyeaters, suggesting that this genus arose on representatives of this family, while occurrence of two species on hosts of the families Acanthisittidae and Monarchidae could be of a secondary origin. In the generic revision of Pterodectinae, Park and Atyeo (1971) noted that undescribed representatives of this genus were detected on passerine hosts from the families Campephagidae , Ptilonorhynchidae , Pycnonotidae and Sylviidae ; unfortunately, these materials have not been further examined. Additionally, Atyeo (1973) mentioned the finding of Neodectes species on two species of bulbuls ( Pycnonotidae ) in South-East Asia, but this material also has never been described.

Ten currently recognized Neodectes species ( Table 1 ) can be arranged in three species groups. Two species, N. dicranochaetus and N. ophioglossus sp. n., comprise the dicranochaetus group, in which males have the opisthosoma enlarged posteriorly and setae h3 bifurcate. Neodectes manicatus ( Trouessart, 1885) is an aberrant species known only from a single male, which has highly modified legs I with a high, dentate dorsal crest on the tibia, a dorsal spine-like process on the genu, and enlarged lanceolate setae cG I. The remaining seven species comprise the securiclatus group, in which males are characterized by normal (non-modified) legs I and spiculiform, lanceolate, or foliform setae h3.