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Issue: Vol. 5862 No. 1: 4 Aug. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-08-04
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5862.1.1
Page range: 1-50
Abstract views: 356
PDF downloaded: 100

Chigger mites of the subfamily Leeuwenhoekiinae (Acariformes: Trombiculidae) in Africa

Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Universitetskaya Emb. 1; Saint Petersburg 199034; Russia
Acari chiggers taxonomy Afrotropical realm Mediterranean Basin parasites of reptiles

Abstract

Chigger mites from the African continent belonging to the genus Odontacarus Ewing, 1929 and related genera are revised based on the type series, unpublished archive data, and literature. The subgenus Matacarus (Arabacarus) Vercammen-Grandjean, Langston and Audy, 1973 is elevated to the genus level and three its species are redescribed: Arabacarus arabicus (Radford, 1954) comb. nov. (type species), A. agamae (Taufflieb, 1960) comb. nov., and A. ediosi (Taufflieb and Mouchet, 1962) comb. nov. The genus Matacarus Vercammen-Grandjean, 1956 is redefined and in the new system includes two species: Matacarus buretti (Vercammen-Grandjean, 1956) (type species) and M. tenuitarsus (Lawrence, 1949) comb. nov. The subgenus Matacarus (Afracarus) Vercammen-Grandjean, Langston and Audy, 1973 is synonymized with Odontacarus. Five African species of Odontacarus are redescribed: Odontacarus mabuyana (Lawrence, 1949) comb. nov., O. geckobius (Lawrence, 1949) comb. nov., O. namaquensis (Lawrence, 1949) comb. nov., O. maroccanus (Taufflieb, 1958) comb. nov., and O. nicollei (Vercammen-Grandjean, 1956) comb. nov. One new species, Odontacarus lauracarus sp. nov., proposed but unpublished by Vercammen-Grandjean, is described. A key to larval genera of Leeuwenhoekiinae occurring in Africa and a key to African species of Odontacarus are compiled.

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How to Cite

Stekolnikov, A.A. (2026) Chigger mites of the subfamily Leeuwenhoekiinae (Acariformes: Trombiculidae) in Africa. Zootaxa, 5862 (1), 1–50. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5862.1.1