A new genus and two new species of Opilioacaridae (Acari: Parasitiformes) from Amazonia, Brazil with a key to world genera
Author
Vázquez, Ma. Magdalena
Author
Araújo, Marcel Santos De
Author
Feres, Reinaldo José Fazzio
text
Zootaxa
2014
3814
2
151
176
journal article
45562
10.11646/zootaxa.3814.2.1
e5919f1b-8545-40c8-908b-e87fb8c2f1ea
1175-5326
224993
453ACE3C-0977-4F8F-B4A7-3EF93508472B
Amazonacarus
Vázquez, Araújo & Feres
n. gen.
Diagnosis.
Palp tarsus with 10 foliate setae. Palp tibia with 21–26 elongate, serrate setae, 2–6 of which extend to the base of the claws (
Fig. 10
). Preanal segment with 4–6 dorsal and 2 ventro-lateral, setae (
Figs. 15–16
). Ovipositor of the “complex
type
”, i.e., with 2 pairs of thick, sclerotized spiny projections, a pair of glands connected by long, thin channels, plus 2–4 long, thin, fine, acutely-tipped genital setae visible under cuticle close to genital opening (
Fig. 20
). Sensillum with a “crown-like” tip on tarsus I large, distinctly distal to the main group of sensory sensilla (
Fig. 21
).
Comparative notes. The new genus differs from most Old World genera by the presence of 2 pairs of eyes and With’s organ membranous and discoid (3 pairs of eyes and With’s organ biramous and setiform in
Paracarus
and
Siamacarus
); the absence of setae on the main opisthosomal segments in all instars (with numerous setae in tritonymphs and adults of
Panchaetes
,
Salfacarus
and
Vanderhammenacarus
) (Hammen 1977;
Leclerc 1989
); and the presence of setae on the penultimate segment (segment XVII) (absent in
Adenacarus
) (
Hammen 1969
). It differs from
Opilioacarus
,
Phalangiacarus
,
Indiacarus
,
and
Neacarus
by the presence of more than 7 foliate setae on the palp tarsus (
Grandjean 1936
;
Das & Bastawade 2007
). The presence of many foliate setae on the palp tarsus, each with multiple (>6) thin lobes, and the position of the sensillum with a crown-like tip on tarsus I are shared with
Caribeacarus
, the genus that is most similar to
Amazonacarus
.
Amazonacarus
can be differentiated from that genus by the presence of distinctly modified setae on the palp tibia, the presence of more than 3 setae on the penultimate segment (some undescribed
Neacarus
from
Brazil
also have>3 setae on that segment), and the presence of distinct internal sclerites in the ovipositor (all absent in
Caribeacarus
). The elongate setae on the palp tibia appear to be unique. They may function to protect the foliate (
d
-
type
) setae on the palp tarsus. In
Amazonacarus
these setae are much longer than positionally similar setae in
Caribeacarus
or
Neocarus
(
Figs. 47–53
).