Syringophilidae is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...

s, commonly known as quill mites. They are obligatory ectoparasites of birds, and inhabit their feather quills where they feed on subcutaneous tissue and fluids. Typically the Syringophilinae inhabit all but the body feathers (primaries, secondaries, tertials, rectrices and wing coverts), while the Picobinae specialize in infecting the body feathers internally. Quill mites have been recorded from hundreds of bird species, belonging to 95 families and 24 orders. Much knowledge of their hosts, diversity and systematics has been obtained since the late 1990s, but as of 2020 these were still considered to be poorly known.

Life cycle

A single fertilized female enters the soft calamus of a developing feather through the opening called superior umbilicus. When this is getting closed, it produces offspring; a single male and several females, which develop within this enclosed space. The offspring then fertilize each other and produce one more generation still enclosed here. Again, only a single male offspring is produced by each female, which will fertilize their sisters and cousins. Finally, fertilized females disperse to look for new feathers on the same host bird or on another one. The most frequent type of transmission is the parent-offspring route. Due to this peculiar life cycle, quill mite populations are highly inbred and subjected to an extremely reduced (if any) sexual selection pressure.

Symbionts

It is suspected that they might be a vector in transmitting strains of ''

Wolbachia ''Wolbachia'' is a genus of intracellular bacteria that infects mainly arthropod species, including a high proportion of insects, and also some nematodes. It is one of the most common parasitic microbes, and is possibly the most common reproducti ...

'', an intracellular bacterial genus. Additionally ''

Spiroplasma ''Spiroplasma'' is a genus of Mollicutes, a group of small bacteria without cell walls. ''Spiroplasma'' shares the simple metabolism, parasitic lifestyle, fried-egg colony morphology and small genome of other ''Mollicutes'', but has a distinctiv ...

'' bacteria are suspected symbionts, besides potentially the pathogens ''

Anaplasma phagocytophilum ''Anaplasma phagocytophilum'' (formerly ''Ehrlichia phagocytophilum'') is a Gram-negative bacterium that is unusual in its tropism to neutrophils. It causes anaplasmosis in sheep and cattle, also known as tick-borne fever and pasture fever, and ...

'', ''

Brucella ''Brucella'' is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria, named after David Bruce (1855–1931). They are small (0.5 to 0.7 by 0.6 to 1.5 µm), non encapsulated, non motile, facultatively intracellular coccobacilli. ''Brucella'' spp. are the caus ...

'' and ''

Bartonella ''Bartonella'' is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria. It is the only genus in the family Bartonellaceae. Facultative intracellular parasites, ''Bartonella'' species can infect healthy people, but are considered especially important as opportunis ...

''.

Genera

The family contains the following genera: *'' Ascetomylla'' Kethley, 1970 *'' Aulobia'' Kethley, 1970 *'' Aulonastus'' Kethley, 1970 *'' Bubophilus'' J. R. Philips & R. A. Norton, 1978 *'' Calamincola'' Casto, 1978 *'' Castosyringophilus'' Bochkov & Perez, 2003 *'' Charadriphilus'' Bochkov & Chistyakov, 2001 *'' Chenophila'' Kethley, 1970 *'' Colinophilus'' Kethley, 1973 *'' Creagonycha'' Kethley, 1970 *'' Dissonus'' Skoracki, 1999 *'' Ixobrychiphilus'' Skoracki, Zmudzinski & Solarczyk, 2017 *'' Kalamotrypetes'' S. D. Casto, 1980 *'' Kethleyana'' Kivganov, in Kivganov & Sharafat 1995 *'' Megasyringophilus'' Fain, Bochkov & Mironov, 2000 *'' Mironovia'' Chirov & Kravtsova, 1995 *'' Neoaulobia'' Fain, Bochkov & Mironov, 2000 *'' Neoaulonastus'' Skoracki, 2004 *'' Niglarobia'' Kethley, 1970 *'' Peristerophila'' Kethley, 1970 *'' Philoxanthornia'' Kethley, 1970 *'' Picobia'' Haller, 1878 *'' Procellariisyringophilus'' Schmidt & Skoracki, 2007 (nom. nov. pro Syringonomus Kethley 1970 non Hope & Murphy, 1969) *'' Psittaciphilus'' Fain, Bochkov & Mironov, 2000 *'' Selenonycha'' Kethley, 1970 *'' Stibarokris'' Kethley, 1970 *'' Syringonomus'' Kethley, 1970 *'' Syringophiloidus'' Kethley, 1970 *'' Syringophilopsis'' Kethley, 1970 *'' Syringophilus'' Heller, 1880 *'' Terratosyringophilus'' Bochkov & Perez, 2003 *'' Torotrogla'' Kethley, 1970 *'' Trypetoptila'' Kethley, 1970

References

Trombidiformes Acari families {{Trombidiformes-stub