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Two New Feather Mite Species Described From Pale Flycatcher and White-Browed Scrub-Robin

Pale flycatcher in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Research · Evolution & taxonomy

A taxonomic study from South Africa has described two previously unknown feather mite species associated with two Old World flycatchers: the pale flycatcher (Agricola pallidus) and white-browed scrub-robin (Cercotrichas leucophrys). The study was published on 17 March 2026 in Acarologia.

Two Dolichodectes species were described from two flycatcher hosts

Both new mites belong to the genus Dolichodectes. Dolichodectes megalobus was described from a pale flycatcher, while Dolichodectes robertsi was described from a white-browed scrub-robin.

The type material for both species came from Pongola Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal. D. robertsi was collected from a white-browed scrub-robin on 20 November 2024; its type series comprised the male holotype, nine male paratypes and ten female paratypes. D. megalobus was collected from a pale flycatcher at the same locality on 2 December 2024; its type series comprised the male holotype together with 20 male and 24 female paratypes.

Microscopic morphology separated the new species from known relatives

The researchers used detailed microscopic morphology to distinguish the new mites from previously described members of the genus. D. robertsi is closest to D. glyphonotus. In males, it is distinguished by numerous short dash-like depressions on the hardened dorsal shield of the rear body and by the aedeagus — the male copulatory organ — stopping before the terminal cleft. Females have pointed posterior corners on the front dorsal shield and a distinct oval enlargement near the spermatheca, the sperm-storage structure.

D. megalobus is closest to D. diplocercus. Its males have strongly elongated posterior body lobes, numerous circular depressions on the rear dorsal shield, an aedeagus 110–115 µm long and unusually long setae h3 of 95–105 µm. Females lack ornamentation on the front dorsal shield, have a posterior shield that is distinctly wider than long, and have setae h2 shorter than the distance between their bases. These combinations of characters, rather than any single measurement alone, separate the new species from their closest known relatives.

The paper also compared both new species with their closest known morphological relatives and formally registered the names through ZooBank. The holotypes and parts of the paratype series were deposited in museum collections so that the material remains available for future taxonomic work.

The discovery adds two new host associations and two formally described species to the known diversity of Dolichodectes feather mites in African flycatchers.

Sources and image credit

  1. Mironov, S. V. (2026). Two new species of the feather mite genus Dolichodectes (Acariformes: Proctophyllodidae) from flycatchers (Passeriformes: Muscicapidae) in South Africa. Acarologia, 66(1), 171–186. https://doi.org/10.24349/qfvs-mo92Primary open-access taxonomic article published 17 March 2026 under CC BY 4.0. Dolichodectes robertsi was described from white-browed scrub-robin and D. megalobus from pale flycatcher; both type series came from Pongola Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal.

Image: Bram ter Keurs — wild pale flycatcher (Agricola pallidus) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, photographed 23 February 2013; Wikimedia Commons / Observation.org; cropped to 16:9; representative host image, not the individual from which the mite type material was collected · CC BY 3.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

Evolution & taxonomy

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Pale Flycatcher Agricola pallidus Explore species White-browed Scrub-Robin Cercotrichas leucophrys Explore species

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