TAXONOMY OF MALAGASY ATOPOMELIDAE (ACARI, ASTIGMATA, PSOROPTIDIA) II: NEW RECORDS OF LISTROPHOROIDES ASSOCIATED WITH ELIURUS (RODENTIA, NESOMYIDAE, NESOMYINAE)

About authors:

Voronezh State Pedagogical University, Voronezh, Russia

Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, USA;
Association Vahatra, Antananarivo, Madagascar

Acknowledgments:

The authors are grateful to the late Andre V. Bochkov and Sergey V. Mironov (ZISP) for their help with the preliminary analysis of the material. The authors acknowledge G. Kenneth Creighton (USNM), as well as Christopher Raxworthy and Ronald Nussbaum (UMMZ) for their collaboration in obtaining field material.

The research of Vasiliy B. Kolesnikov was conducted within the framework of State Assignments No. 124032500016-4 and 125013001089-0. For the early phases of this study, Barry OConnor was supported by a grant from the U. S. National Science Foundation (DEB-0118766), 2001–2006.

Abstract:

The paper provides new records and data on fur mites of the family Atopomelidae (Acari: Astigmata: Psoroptidia) associated with endemic Malagasy rodents (Rodentia: Nesomyidae, Nesomyinae) of the genus Eliurus Milne-Edwards, 1885 A new mite species, Listrophoroides (Eulistrophoroides) maximi sp. n., is described based on males and females collected from the Tanala tufted-tailed rat, Eliurus tanala Major, 1896. Males of the new species are clearly distinguished from all other known species of the subgenus by an elongated aedeagus and the presence of a distinct triangular projection at the base of genu IV. Females are characterized by poorly developed or absent tubercles on the anterior margin of the postscapular shield, a subquadrate spermathecal head and an elongated opisthosomal shield. In addition, Listrophoroides (Eulistrophoroides) legendrei Fain, 1976, is recorded from a new host, Eliurus webbi Milne-Edwards, 1885, and a detailed redescription of this species is provided based on the newly collected material. The association between L. (E.) legendrei and Macrotarsomys bastardi is probably erroneous, resulting from cross-contamination during collection or museum processing. Eliurus webbi represents the true host of L. (E.) legendrei.

DOI: 10.21684/0132-8077-2026-34-1-41-53

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