Columbiphilus khushalkhani Kivganov and Sharafat, 1995

Skoracki, Maciej, Sikora, Bozena & Spicer, Greg S., 2016, A review of the subfamily Picobiinae Johnston and Kethley, 1973 (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae), Zootaxa 4113 (1), pp. 1-95 : 19-22

Columbiphilus khushalkhani Kivganov and Sharafat, 1995

( Figs. 14–16 )

Columbiphilus khushalkhani Kivganov and Sharafat, 1995: 83 , fig. 2; Skoracki 2011: 374 . Types deposited in OCU, examined.

Picobia khushalkhani, Bochkov & Mironov 1998: 15 .

Picobia polonica Skoracki et al., 2001: 154 , figs. 1–9, syn. nov.

Columbiphilus polonica, Skoracki 2011: 375 ; Skoracki et al. 2014a: 101.

Type host: Gallus gallus domesticus (Linnaeus) ( Galliformes : Phasianidae ). Type locality: Afganistan.

Redescription. FEMALE (2 paratypes). Gnathosoma . Hypostomal apex rounded. Infracapitulum punctate. Stylophore apunctate. Each medial branch of peritremes with 2–4 chambers, each lateral branch with 12–14 chambers. Idiosoma . Propodonotal shield divided into 2 wide lateral sclerites, sparsely punctate near bases of setae vi, ve and si, medial shield present. Setae si situated distinctly anterior to level of setae c2. Setae vi, ve and si lightly beaded. Setae c1 and se located at same transverse level. Hysteronotal and pygidial shields absent. Setae f1, f2 short, setae h1 and h2 long. Setae ag2 situated posterolateral to setae ag1. Agenital and genital plates absent. Genital setae moderately long and hair-like. Coxal fields I punctate, II–IV apunctate. Legs. Paraxial claws of legs III–IV larger than antaxial claws III–IV. Physogastric form campanuliform in outline. Measurements. Total body length 815–830 for NPF-females, 1215–1230 for PF-females. Length of stylophore 190–200. Lengths of setae: vi 52–53, ve 145–165, si 187–250, se 213–350, c1 345–350, c2 288–316, d1 235–240, d2 260–265, e2 163–213, f1 54–60, f2 70–93, h1 350–400, h2 525–550, ag1 205–230, ag2 65–80, ag3 235–290, g1 70–80, ps1 12, ps2 25. Length ratios of setae: vi: ve: si 1:3:4, f1: f2 1:1.4, h1: h2 1:1.5, h1: f1 7:1, h2: f2 6–7.5:1, ag1: ag2: ag3 2.9–3.2:1:3.4– 3.6, g1: ps2 3:1, ps2: ps1 2:1.

MALE (3 specimens from Gallus gallus domesticus from Poland). Gnathosoma . Infracapitulum apunctate. Each medial branch of peritremes with 3–5 chambers, each lateral branch with 9–11 chambers. Idiosoma . Propodonotal shield entire and shirt-like, concave on anterior and posterior margins bearing all propodonotal setae except setae c2. Setae c1 situated slightly anterior to level of setae se. Hysteronotal shield entire, concave on anterior and posterior margins, bearing bases of setae d1 and e2. Pygidial shield well sclerotised, apunctate. Two agenital plates present, situated near bases of setae ag1. Coxal fields I–IV apunctate. Measurements. Total body length 430–435. Lengths of setae: vi 40, ve 75–80, se 120–150, c1 125, c2 120–145, d1 10–15, d2 100, e2 10, h2 270–310, f2 15, ag1 95–105, ag2 55–60. Length ratios of setae: vi: ve: si 1:2:3–3.8, d2: d1: e2 10:1:1, h2: f2 25–30:1, ag1: ag2 1.7–1.8:1.

Type material examined. Two female paratypes from nest of Columba livia Gmelin ( Columbiformes : Columbidae ), AFGHANISTAN: Kabul, 10–20 September 1991, coll. G. S. Sharafat, all material in OCU.

Additional material. Two females (NPF) from Gallus gallus domesticus (Linnaeus) ( Galliformes : Phasianidae ), BELGIUM: 14 September 1960, coll. A. Fain, all material in RBINS; 1 female (NPF), 1 female (PF) and 4 males from Coturnix coturnix (Linnaeus) (Phasianidae) , JAPAN: Hokkaido, 20 September 1906, coll. unknown, all material in AMU; 1 female (PF) from Francolinus clappertoni Children and Vigors (Phasianidae) , CENTRAL AFRICA: no other data, specimen in AMU; 1 female (NPF) from Acryllium vulturinum (Hardwicke) ( Galliformes : Numididae ), bird imported to ZOO-garden in France from the EASTERN AFRICA, specimen in AMU; 1 female (NPF) from Numida meleagris mitratus (Pallas) (Numididae) , SOUTH AFRICA: Transvaal, 1959, coll. unknown, specimen in RMCA.

Host range and distribution. Metastenoxenous species associated with galliform birds ( Galliformes ). Phasianidae : Coturnix coturnix (Linnaeus) [new host] from Japan, Francolinus clappertoni Children and Vigors [new host] from Central Africa (present paper), Gallus gallus domesticus (Linnaeus) from Afghanistan ( Kivganov & Sharafat 1995), Belgium (present paper), Germany ( Skoracki & Sikora 2011), Poland ( Skoracki et al. 2001), USA ( Skoracki et al. 2014a), and G. sonneratti Temminck from India ( Skoracki & Sikora, 2011).

Numididae : Acryllium vulturinum (Hardwicke) [new host] from Eastern Africa and Numida meleagris mitratus (Pallas) [new host] from South Africa (present paper).

Remarks. This species was described from females originally collected from the nest of Columba livia Gmelin , and for long time this bird species has been taken as a natural host for Columbiphilus khushalkhani ( Kivganov & Sharafat 1995; Bochkov & Mironov 1998; Skoracki 2011). In a recent paper, Skoracki and Sikora (2011) questioned C. livia as a natural host for C. khushalkhani based on the composition of the quill mite fauna from other species of pigeons, which are exclusively inhabited by representatives of the genus Gunabopicobia (see Table 1 ). They also suggested an accidental transfer of C. khushalkhani from a domestic hen to nearby nesting doves. Recently, we received information that the type material of C. khushalkhani has been indeed collected from a pigeon-nest located in the henhouse (Dr. D. Kivganov, personal comm., 2015). Additionally, the examination of the type material of C. khushalkhani allows the synonimization of C. polonica ( Skoracki, Magowski and Dabert, 2001) syn. nov., previously known as parasite of domestic hen. This means that members of the genus Columbiphilus are associated only with birds of the order Galliformes and unfortunately the generic name Columbiphilus does not suggest the real association of these quill mites with galliform hosts and not columbiform hosts.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Columbiphilus khushalkhani Kivganov and Sharafat, 1995, female. A, dorsal view; B, ventral view.

FIGURE 15. Columbiphilus khushalkhani Kivganov and Sharafat, 1995, male. A, dorsal view; B, ventral view.

FIGURE 16. Columbiphilus khushalkhani Kivganov and Sharafat, 1995, female (A – G). A, gnathosoma in ventral view; B, propodonotal seta si; C, proximal end of movable cheliceral digit; D, ventral view of tarsus III; E, solenidia of leg I; F, posterior part of apodemes I and II; G, peritremes. Male (H). H, genito-anal region.