A NEW SPECIES OF THE FEATHER MITE GENUS TROUESSARTIA (ACARIFORMES: TROUESSARTIIDAE) FROM THE TRISTRAM’S BUNTING EMBERIZA TRISTRAMI (PASSERIFORMES: EMBERIZIDAE) IN THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST

Abstract

A new feather mite species, Trouessartia emberizae sp. n., is described from the Tristram’s Bunting, Emberiza tristrami Swinhoe (Passeriformes: Emberizidae) in the Primorye Territory (Russian Far East). The new species is close to T. jedliczkai (Zimmermann) and T. motacillae Dubinin, associated with wagtails (Motacillidae: Motacilla) and most clearly differs from them in the following features: in males, the hysteronotal shield is entire and the genital apparatus is narrow, parallel-sided and strongly convex dorsally; in females, the external copulatory tube is stylet-like and extends beyond the level of setae h3, and the head of the spermatheca has a short smooth collar. This is the first description of a Trouessartia species from a host of the family of buntings (Emberizidae).