Syringophilidae is a family of mites, commonly known as quill mites. They are obligatory ectoparasites of birds, and inhabit their feather quills where they feed on subcutaneous tissue and fluids. Typically the Syringophilinae inhabit all but the body feathers (primaries, secondaries, tertials, rectrices and wing coverts), while the Picobinae specialize in infecting the body feathers internally. Quill mites have been recorded from hundreds of bird species, belonging to 95 families and 24 orders. Much knowledge of their hosts, diversity and systematics has been obtained since the late 1990s, but as of 2020 these were still considered to be poorly known.
Life cycle A single fertilized female enters the soft calamus of a developing feather through the opening called superior umbilicus. When this is getting closed, it produces offspring; a single male and several females, which develop within this enclosed space. The offspring then fertilize each other and produce one more generation still enclosed here. Again, only a single male offspring is produced by each female, which will fertilize their sisters and cousins. Finally, fertilized females disperse to look for new feathers on the same host bird or on another one. The most frequent type of transmission is the parent-offspring route. Due to this peculiar life cycle, quill mite populations are highly inbred and subjected to an extremely reduced (if any) sexual selection pressure.
Symbionts They may host strains of Wolbachia, an intracellular bacterial genus. Additionally Spiroplasma bacteria are suspected symbionts, besides potentially the pathogens Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Brucella and Bartonella.
Genera The family contains the following genera:
Ascetomylla Kethley, 1970 Aulobia Kethley, 1970 Aulonastus Kethley, 1970 Bubophilus J. R. Philips & R. A. Norton, 1978 Calamincola Casto, 1978 Castosyringophilus Bochkov & Perez, 2003 Charadriphilus Bochkov & Chistyakov, 2001 Chenophila Kethley, 1970 Colinophilus Kethley, 1973 Creagonycha Kethley, 1970 Dissonus Skoracki, 1999 Ixobrychiphilus Skoracki, Zmudzinski & Solarczyk, 2017 Kalamotrypetes S. D. Casto, 1980 Kethleyana Kivganov, in Kivganov & Sharafat 1995 Megasyringophilus Fain, Bochkov & Mironov, 2000 Mironovia Chirov & Kravtsova, 1995 Neoaulobia Fain, Bochkov & Mironov, 2000 Neoaulonastus Skoracki, 2004 Niglarobia Kethley, 1970 Peristerophila Kethley, 1970 Philoxanthornia Kethley, 1970 Phipicobia Glowska & Schmidt, 2014 Picobia Haller, 1878 Procellariisyringophilus Schmidt & Skoracki, 2007 (nom. nov. pro Syringonomus Kethley 1970 non Hope & Murphy, 1969) Psittaciphilus Fain, Bochkov & Mironov, 2000 Selenonycha Kethley, 1970 Stibarokris Kethley, 1970 Syringonomus Kethley, 1970 Syringophiloidus Kethley, 1970 Syringophilopsis Kethley, 1970 Syringophilus Heller, 1880 Terratosyringophilus Bochkov & Perez, 2003 Torotrogla Kethley, 1970 Trypetoptila Kethley, 1970
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