Syringophiloidus Kethley

Genus Syringophiloidus Kethley

The taxonomically diverse genus Syringophiloidus Kethley includes 33 species associated mainly with passeriform birds of 20 families: Artamidae, Bombycillidae, Cardinalidae, Corvidae, Estrildidae, Emberizidae, Fringillidae, Hirundinidae, Icteridae, Laniidae, Oriolidae, Paridae, Parulidae, Passeridae, Ploceidae, Rhinocryptidae, Sturnidae, Turdidae, Thraupidae, and Troglodytidae. To date, only two species have been found on non-passeriform birds: S. cypsiuri Fain et al. described from Cypsiurus parvus (Lichteinstein) (Apodiformes: Apodidae) and S. carolae Skoracki et al. from Melanerpes formicivorus (Swainson) (Piciformes: Picidae). Members of this genus have been recorded from Palaearctic, Nearctic, Neotropic, Ethiopian, and Oriental regions (Bochkov et al. 2011; Skoracki 2011). Representatives of Syringophiloidus are found inside feather quills of the secondaries, coverts of tertials and rectrices.

This genus was recently divided into two units of species, the minor and glandari species-group. Species belonging to the minor group have the medial branch of peritremes with numerous bead-like chambers, whilst species from the glandarii group have 2–3 elongated chambers in the each medial branch of the peritremes (Skoracki 2011).