Meitingsunes Glowska and Skoracki 2010

Genus Meitingsunes Glowska and Skoracki, 2010

Meitingsunes Glowska and Skoracki, 2010: 62.

Type species: Meitingsunes zenadoura e (Clark, 1964) by original designation.

Diagnosis. Female: Medium-sized quill mites (length 620 – 775). Gnathosoma. Hypostomal apex without median protuberances. Lateral hypostomal teeth absent. Peritremes M - shaped with clearly visible chambers in each branch. Movable cheliceral digit edentate. Stylophore constricted posteriorly, lineal - shaped. Idiosoma. All idiosomal setae smooth. Propodonotal shield entire, rectangular in shape. Propodonotal region with 5 pairs of setae (vi absent), arranged 2 – 1 – 2. Hysteronotal shield fused to pygidial shield, two additional hysteronotal sclerites arround bases of setae d2 present or absent. Hysteronotal setae long. Setae d1 situated equidistant to level of setae d2 and e2. Terminal setae f2 and h2 long, f1 and h1 short. Genital and pseudanal series with 2 pairs of setae, each. Aggenital series with 3 pairs of setae. Legs. Leg setae vsII and dFII–IV absent. Apodemes I slightly divergent, not fused to apodemes II. Coxal fields I and II dissimilar in shape and size. Antaxial and paraxial members of claw pair subequal in size and shape, without basal angle.

MALE. Characters as in female except: total body length 515 – 555; propodonotal shield weakly sclerotized, entire, variable in shape; propodonotal setae arranged 2–2–1; hysteronotal shield not fused to pygidial shield; hysteronotal setae d2 long, d1 and e2 short; terminal setae f2 and h2 short; aggenital series with 2 pairs of setae; apodemes I strongly divergent; coxal fields I and II similar in shape and size.

Host range. Mites of this genus are associated with columbiform birds of the family Columbidae.

Habitat. Quills of secondaries and coverts.

Species included. At present, 4 species of this genus are known from the Nearctic (1), Ethiopian (2), Neotropic (1), and Palaearctic (1) regions (Table 20).