A phylogenetic analysis of relationships is carried out among the skin-inhabiting mites presently included in the families Rhyncoptidae, Audycoptidae and Sarcoptidae. The analysis included eight taxa (five genera of follicle associates and three subfamilies of skin-burrowing sarcoptids) and 41 characters, and generated a single most parsimonious tree of length 60 with a consistency index of 0.745. The genus Caenolestocoptes (Sarcoptidae, Caenolestocoptinae) is the sister group of the assemblage of Ursicoptes, Saimirioptes, Audycoptes (all Audycoptidae) and Rhyncoptes (Rhyncoptidae). Within the latter grouping Audycoptes is the sister group of Rhyncoptes. Based on these results the Caenolestocoptinae Fain & Lukoschus, 1976 and Audycoptidae Lavoipierre, 1964 are synonymised with the Rhyncoptidae Lawrence, 1956. The Rhyncoptidae (sensu nov.) appears to be the sister group of the Sarcoptidae (sensu stricto).