A new asymmetrical feather mite of the genus Michaelia Trouessart, 1884 (Astigmata: Freyanidae) from the Neotropical Cormorant, Phalacrocorax brasilianus (Pelecaniformes)

Abstract

Species of the feather mite genus Michaelia Trouessart, 1884 are notable for striking bilateral asymmetry in males, displayed in the structure of the anterior legs (both hetero- and homeomorphs) and the opisthosomal lobes (heteromorphs). A new species of this genus, Michaelia neotropica Hernandes and Mironov n. sp., is described from the Neotropical Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus (Pelecaniformes: Phalacrocoracidae) from Brazil. It differs from M. urile (Dubinin, 1953) by having a narrower incision on the inner margins of the opisthosomal lobes anterior to setae h1, and relatively longer legs I with the ambulacrum reaching the midlevel of elongated tarsus II. A key to heteromorphic males of the genus Michaelia is provided.