NEOTTIALGES NEOPELAGICUS NEW SPECIES (ACARI, HYPODERATIDAE) FROM THE PELAGIC CORMORANT (AVES, PHALACROCORACIDAE, PELECANIFORMES)

A new species of hypoderatid deutonymph is described from the subcutan eous tissues of the pelagic cormorant, Phalacrocorax pelagicus Pallas, from Alaska. Neottialges neopelagicus n. sp. is similar to the 3 othe r Neottialges spp. from cormorants. N. neopelagicus closely resembles N. tasmaniensis Fain & Domrow except the genital apodeme is incomplete in the latter, but the sclerotized T-shaped extremities are connected by a thin line of sclerotization to form a complete central apodeme i n N. neopelagicus. There also are minor differences in leg chaetotaxy of these 2 species. The genital apodeme is heavily sclerotized through out its length in N. evans Fain and N. pelagicus OConnor. In both thes e species, seta d(4) is long and resembles other middorsal idiosomal s etae, whereas it is short and hairlike in N. tasmaniensis and N. neope lagicus. In N. pelagicus terminal sera as on tarsus IV is smooth; it i s serrated in the other three species. The single pelagic cormorant we found infected with N. neopelagicus shared this host with N. pelagicu s, emphasizing the possibility of coexistence of 2 very similar specie s of hypoderatids in the same host individual.