Two new species of feather mites (Acarina: Psoroptidia) from Old World flycatchers (Passeriformes: Muscicapidae) in India

The paper describes two new species of feather mites collected from some flycatchers (Passeriformes: Muscicapidae) in Meghalaya, India: Trouessartia thalassina sp. n. (Trouessartiidae) from the Verditer Flycatcher, Eumyias thalassinus (Swainson), and Proterothrix sibillae sp. n. (Proctophyllodidae: Pterodectinae) from the Small Niltava, Niltava macgrigoriae (Burton). The new species T. thalassina sp. n. is most similar to T. cyanoptilae Mironov, 2023 in having, in both sexes, setae d1 absent and lateral margins of the hysteronotal shield shallowly concave. In males of the new species the terminal lamellae are semi-ovate (vs. the terminal lamellae roughly rectangular with posterior margin obliquely cut in T. cyanoptilae). In females of the new species the setae h1 are lanceolate and are situated in non-sclerotized lacunae with uneven margins (vs. the setae h1 are thin spiculiform and are situated in non-sclerotized lacunae with round margins in T. cyanoptilae). Proterothrix sibillae sp. n. belongs to the wolffi species group, and is most similar to P. cyornissimilis Constantinescu, 2017. The new species is larger than P. cyornissimilis, and in the males, the prodorsal shield has small circular lacunae, the rudimentary sclerites rEpIIa are present, the genital papillae are situated distinctly anterior to the genital arch and the aedeagus is 92–104 long (vs. the prodorsal shield is without ornamentation, the genital papillae are situated at midlevel of genital arch, the rudimentary sclerites rEpIIa are present, and the aedeagus is 72–76 long in P. cyornissimilis). In females of the new species, the prodorsal shield has acute antero-lateral extension (vs. the prodorsal shield has antero-lateral extensions with ledge, in P. cyornissimilis).