Systematic Parasitology 53: 69–79, 2002. © 2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands. 69 A revised diagnosis of the feather mite genus Magimelia Gaud, 1961 (Pterolichoidea: Pterolichidae: Magimeliinae) and the description of three new species Jacek Dabert 1 , Serge V. Mironov 2 & Rainer Ehrnsberger 3 1 Department of Animal Morphology, Adam Mickiewicz University, 28 Czerwca 1956/198, 61-485 Pozna´ n, Poland 2 Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 199034, Saint Petersburg, Russia 3 Institute of Nature Conservation and Environmental Education, University of Vechta, D-49377 Vechta, Germany Accepted for publication 4th February, 2002 Abstract Three new mite species of the genus Magimelia (Astigmata: Pterolichidae) are described from the plumage of various lapwings (Charadriidae: Vanellinae): M. breviloba n. sp. from Vanellus miles miles; M. thailandica n. sp. from V. indicus (type-host), V. duvaucelii and V. tricolor; and M. chilensis n. sp. from V. chilensis. An extended host range for M. dolichosikya Gaud, 1961 is given. A revised diagnosis of the genus and a key to known species are presented. Introduction The feather mite genus Magimelia Gaud, 1961 (Pterolichidae: Magimeliinae) was originally based on a single species, M. dolichosikya Gaud, 1961, described from the white-headed lapwing Vanellus (=Xiphidiopterus) albiceps Gould in Africa (Gaud, 1961). In further investigations of feather mites of African birds (Gaud 1972), this species was recorded from two other species of African lapwings, the spur- winged lapwing V. spinosus (L.) and the wattled lap- wing V. senegallus (L.) (Charadriidae: Vanellinae). In that paper this genus was used as a basis for the new subfamily Magimeliinae Gaud, 1972, established within the family Pterolichidae. Mites of the genus Magimelia, as well as all other representatives of the subfamily Magimeliinae, live on the ventral side of vanes of flight feathers (Dabert & Ehrnsberger, 1999). Mites are located in narrow corridors formed by primary and secondary feather barbs. These mites are well adapted to these habi- tats, having a greatly elongated, parallel-sided and flat body covered with large dorsal shields, and legs in- serted laterally. Males of this genus always possess well-developed opisthosomal lobes. The present paper is a part of a general study of the systematics, phylogeny and host-parasite relation- ships of the feather mite subfamily Magimeliinae (see Dabert, 1997; Dabert & Ehrnsberger, 1999) and in- cludes a redefinition of Magimelia, a key to its species, the description of three new species and new data on its host-parasite associations. Materials and methods The main part of the material used in the present study was received on loan from various museums. The mites were mounted in polyvinyl lactophenol medium and investigated using an Olympus BX50 with DIC (differential interference contrast). In species descrip- tions all measurements are given in micrometres. Idio- somal length was measured from the anterior margin of prodorsum to the posterior end of body (females) or opisthosomal lobes (males). Widths of idiosoma and hysteronotal shield were measured at the level of setae c2. Width of prodorsal shield was measured at its widest point posterior to setae se. The chaetotaxy nomenclature follows Gaud & Atyeo (1996) and the scientific names of the birds are those of Sibley & Monroe (1990).