| abstract | We present an improved diagnosis of the genus Sturnotrogus MIRONOV, 1989 and a key and diagnoses to species detected or potentially expected on starlings (Sturnidae) in Africa and Europe. Two species groups, truncatus and subtruncatus, are recognized within the genus. Five new species of the genus Sturnotrogus are described from starlings in Africa: Sturnotrogus acridotheres sp.nov. from Acridoteres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766), S. lamprotornis sp.nov. from Lamprotornis splendidus (Vieillot, 1822) (type host), L. chalcurus Nordmann, 1835, L. chalybaeus (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1828), L. iris (Oustalet, 1879), L. nitens (Linnaeus, 1766), L. purpuropterus Ruppell, 1845, L. corruscus corruscus Nordmann, 1835, L. chloropterus elisabeth (Stresemann, 1924), S. onychognathi sp.nov. from Onychognathus morio (Linnaeus, 1766), S. poeopterae sp.nov. from Poeoptera lugubris Bonaparte, 1854, and S. superbus sp.nov. from Lamprotornis superbus Ruppell, 1845. Host associations of the genus Sturnotrogus are summarized and briefly discussed. Representatives of the truncatus species group are associated with starling species distributed in Europe, Africa, and Central and Oriental Asia; species of the subtruncatus group occur on starlings and fan-tailed flycatchers of the genus Rhipidura Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 (Rhipiduridae) in the Indo-Malayan region. It is hypothesized that Sturnidae are the original hosts of the genus Sturnotrogus, while Rhipiduridae are the secondary hosts. |