We studied the quill mite fauna of the family Syringophilidae, associated with bee-eaters. We examined 273 bird specimens belonging to nine closely related species of the genus Merops, representing two phylogenetic sister clades of a monophyletic group. Our examination reveals the presence of two species of the genus Peristerophila, as follows: (1) a new species Peristerophila mayri sp. n. from Merops viridis in the Philippines, M. leschenaulti in Nepal and Sri Lanka, and M. orientalis in Sri Lanka; and (2) P. meropis from M. superciliosus in Tanzania and Egypt, M. persicus in Sudan, Tanzania, Liberia, Senegal, Kenya, and D.R. Congo, M. ornatus in Papua New Guinea, M. philippinus in Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, and M. americanus in the Philippines. The prevalence of host infestations by syringophilid mites varied from 3.1 to 38.2%. The distribution of syringophilid mites corresponds with the sister clade phylogenetic relationships of the hosts, except for P. meropis associated with Merops americanus. Possible hypotheses for the host lineage shift are proposed.

Department of Animal Morphology Faculty of Biology Adam Mickiewicz University Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6 61 614 Poznań Poland

Department of Avian Biology and Ecology Faculty of Biology Adam Mickiewicz University Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6 61 614 Poznań Poland

Faculty of Biological Sciences University of Zielona Góra 65 516 Zielona Góra Poland

Laboratory and Museum of Evolutionary Ecology Department of Ecology Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences University of Presov 08001 Prešov Slovakia

National Museum Václavské náměstí 68 11579 Praha 1 Czech Republic

Section Ornithology Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change Adenauerallee 127 53113 Bonn Germany

Zoologische Staatssammlung München Sektion Ornithologie Münchhausenstr 21 81247 München Germany

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