| abstract | Five new species of rodent-infesting chiggers of the genus Microtrombicula Ewing 1950, collected in Pakistan, are described and figured. Illustrations and taxonomic comments are also presented for three Indian species described by Womersley (1952) as Trombicula, viz., M. khurdangensis, M. rajoriensis and M. buxtoni. Two of the new species, M. ventricosa Traub & Nadchatram n. sp. and M. alpicula Traub & Nadchatram n. sp., are from voles in the temperate zones of the mountains of the Kaghan Valley. The remaining three are from the mountain-desert areas of West Pakistan, viz., M. latens Traub & Nadchatram n. sp. (Dir, ex Rattus); M. perissochaeta Traub & Nadchatram n. sp. (Kohighizar, ex Rattus primarily) and M. anastosi Traub & Nadchatram n. sp. (Quetta, ex Mus). Two other species, M. munda (Gater 1932) and M. kajutekrii (Joshee 1964), are mentioned in a key for the identification of all ten species known from the Indian subcontinent.
The new species link Eltonella Audy 1956, so closely to Microtrombicula that the former is considered a subgenus of the latter, and Microtrombicula is redefined because of the intermediate nature of some of the species. |