| abstract | Relationships of the brevisetosa group of mites of the genus Protomyobia (Myobiidae) are analyzed, and three new species are described: P. quasionoi on Sorex trowbridgii Baird, P. oregonensis on S. vagrans Baird, and P. atophyracis on S. bendirii (Merriam). This brings the number of species in this group to four, all in North America. Cladistic analysis shows that the North American Protomyobia species now fall into two groups, the americana group (P. americana and P. panamensis on Cryptotis parva (Say) and P. orophila and P. blarinae on Blarina brevicauda (Say)); and the brevisetosa group. The brevisetosa group includes three weakly defined subgroups—the brevisetosa subgroup (brevisetosa, atophyracis, n. sp., oregonensis, n. sp., and quasionoi, n. sp.), the onoi subgroup (P. onoi and P. indianensis), and the claparedei subgroup (P. claparedei). |