Mites of the family Myobiidae (Acarina : Prostigmata) from mammals in the collection of the British Museum (Natural History) A. Fain Institut de Medecine Tropicale Prince Leopold, Nationalestraat 155, B-2000 Antwerpen, Belgium Contents Introduction 193 Descriptions of mites 193 Family Myobiidae . . . . . . . . . . .193 Subfamily Archemyobiinae . . . . . . . . . .194 Subfamily Myobiinae . . . . . . . . . .194 References 228 Introduction During 1972, 1973 and 1974, I had the opportunity to collect an interesting series of parasitic mites from various mammals in the collection of the British Museum (Natural History). Among this collection I found a number of new species belonging to several new genera of Myobiidae. The present paper provides detailed descriptions and figures of these species, preliminary diag-noses of all but one of which have been given in previous papers (Fain, 1972, 1973). In addition, three species found on bats preserved in the Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Bruxelles, and one species from a bat in the collection of the U.S. National Museum, Washington, are described. Types have been deposited in the respective institutions where the mites were collected. In the following descriptions the length of the body includes that of the gnathosoma but not of the palps. Descriptions of mites Family MYOBHDAE Megnin, 1877 The family Myobiidae has been divided into two subfamilies on the basis of the structure of the clasping organs of legs I (Fain, 1973b, 1973c): (1) Subfamily Archemyobiinae Fain, 1973 (see Fain, 1973b). The clasping apparatus consists of two processes situated on the internal surface of genu I forming a groove. The hair of the host is lodged in this groove and is grasped tightly when the two legs I are pressed together. The tarsus and the tibia I are well developed and normally articulated (Figs 4 & 5). TYPE-GENUS. Archemyobia Jameson, 1955. HOSTS. American marsupials. (2) Subfamily Myobiinae Megnin, 1877. The clasping apparatus is formed of two striated processes situated on the external part of leg I, one on the genu, the other on the femur. The hair of the host is held between these two processes. There is no groove on the internal surface of leg I. The Myobiinae are divided into two tribes : (a) Australomyobiini Fain, 1973 (see Fain, 1973b). Legs I with tibia and tarsus articulated; tarsus well developed bearing two small but normally formed claws. Clasping processes of legs I sub-Bull. Br. Mus. nat. Hist. (Zool.), 33 (3): 193-229 Issued 30 March 1978 193
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