Five new European mite species (Acari: Veigaiidae) are described from the Carpathian Mountains in Slovakia and the Stara Planina Mountains in Bulgaria: Veigaia carpathica Mašán & Fenďa, sp. nov., V. incisilobata Mašán, sp. nov., V. pentachaeta Mašán, sp. nov., V. slovaca Mašán, sp. nov., and V. vermiculifera Mašán, sp. nov. Ecological information is provided for the most common and abundant species, V. carpathica and V. slovaca. A new key to the females of the European species of Veigaia is provided.
We review the parasitic mites of the superfamily Dermanyssoidea found in the nests of Slovakian domestic and wild birds (and a few mammals), compiled from new data and literature sources. Three mite genera are included, namely Dermanyssus Dugès (Dermanyssidae), Ornithonyssus Sambon and Pellonyssus Clark & Yunker (Macronyssidae), in which we recognised nine reliably documented species. Pellonyssus is represented by one species, Dermanyssus by five species, and Ornithonyssus by three species. We compiled information on the ecological requirements and host preferences of these mite species, including data on geographic distribution, altitudinal distribution, and occurrence in different habitats and nest types. An identification key to the species occurring in Slovakia is provided, together with taxonomic remarks on the identification and external morphology of some selected species. Parasitic mites have been reported from 119 taxa of Slovakian vertebrates (including man), of which 108 belong to 17 orders of birds. Dermanyssus americanus Ewing and Ornithonyssus bursa (Berlese) are reported from Slovakia for the first time. Examination of older voucher material collected in Slovakia revealed many misidentified specimens: the name Dermanyssus hirundinis (Hermann) has been widely used for misidentified specimens of Dermanyssus carpathicus Zeman; D. americanus was confused with D. hirundinis; while O. bursa has been confused with Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini & Fanzago). Slovakia is the second country in Europe with known occurrence of the genus Pellonyssus.
The family Parasitidae comprises two subfamilies, Parasitinae and Pergamasinae. A generic concept of this family is not stable and requires a revision. The number of genera varies depending on authors and their view on the systematics of the family, especially on the rank of taxa. We recognize 23 genera within Parasitinae and 22 genera within Pergamasinae, 4 of them are subdivided into subgenera. A dichotomous key for separation of genera and subgenera is provided. A new genus, Coprocarpais n. g. with type species Parasitus copridis Costa, 1963 is proposed and a diagnosis is given. The genus Erithosoma is not assigned to any subfamily because a description of females is missing. The most pressing taxonomic problems at generic and subgeneric levels are discussed. Fourteen new combinations are proposed.
A survey of type localities of new species of the Parasitiformes described in two journals (Systematic & Applied Acarology and Zootaxa) during the last three years (2013)(2014)(2015) revealed interesting patterns of species discovery. Taxonomically, the 142 new species are unevenly distributed among 24 families with the top three families accounting for over 61% of the total. The economically important Phytoseiidae is the top-ranked family. Geographically, the 142 new species of the Parasitiformes are described from 29 countries in the world. The pattern of distribution of these new species among the countries is highly uneven-over half of the new species (52.8%) are from the top 3 countries (Brazil, Iran and Turkey), whereas most countries (65.5%) have only 1-3 new species each.
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