Lopharalichus Gaud and Atyeo, 1996

Mironov, S. V., Dabert, J. & Ehrnsberger, R., 2005, Six new feather mite species (Acari: Astigmata) from the carolina parakeet Conuropsis carolinensis (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae), an extinct parrot of North America, Journal of Natural History 39 (24), pp. 2257-2278 : 2258-2259

Lopharalichus Gaud and Atyeo, 1996

The genus Lopharalichus belongs to the Protolichus generic group ( Pterolichinae ). With 21 genera, the Protolichus group is the most diverse of three pterolichid groups associated exclusively with parrots. Within this generic group, the genus Lopharalichus and four closely related genera, Aralichus Gaud, 1966 , Chelomatolichus Gaud and Atyeo, 1996 , Tanyaralichus Gaud and Atyeo, 1996 , Scolaralichus Gaud and Atyeo, 1996 , constitute the Aralichus generic complex ( Gaud and Atyeo 1996). Mites of this complex are restricted to New World parrots (Psittacinae: Arini). The Aralichus complex is characterized as follows. In both sexes, the scapular setae se, si are setiform, very short and subequal in length; the hysteronotal shield is commonly covered with a pattern of numerous pit-like lacunae; apicoventral apophyses on tibiae, genua and femora of legs I, II are commonly well-developed. In males, legs I, II are not hypertrophied; the adanal apodemes are welldeveloped; genital apodemes are greatly reduced or absent.

By 1990, over 30 species had been recognized within this complex ( Atyeo 1985, 1989a, 1989b; Pérez and Atyeo 1986; Atyeo and Pérez 1990), but all were treated as members of a single genus Aralichus . Later on, in the world revision of feather mite supraspecific taxa ( Gaud and Atyeo 1996), representatives of the genus Aralichus were rearranged into five separate genera; two species were included in the new genus Lopharalichus . Although two formerly known Lopharalichus species have been recorded only from the parrot genera Forpus Boie, 1858 and Pyrrhura Bonaparte, 1856 , according to the data of the mentioned experts, this genus is widely distributed on New World parrots. The scheme of description used below follows the most expanded format proposed by Atyeo (1989b).