New flat mite genera (Acari: Trombidiformes: Tenuipalpidae) associated with Australian sedges (Cyperaceae)
Author
Beard, Jennifer J.
Author
Ochoa, Ronald
text
Zootaxa
2011
2941
1
37
journal article
46477
10.5281/zenodo.204686
4d30eb9e-47cf-4408-a9a8-f70b0f8f1add
1175-5326
204686
Cyperacarus
gen. nov.
Beard & Ochoa
Type
species.
Cyperacarus naomae
Beard & Ochoa
Diagnosis. Adult female.
Body elongate (approximately 3 times longer than wide); anterior margin of propodosoma with three prominent projections—a single median projection without setae, and a pair of prominent lateral projections each bearing setae
v2
.
Dorsal setae
sc1
,
h2
elongate, tapered. Dorsal lateral setae
sc1
,
c3
,
d3
,
e3
,
f2
inserted on prominent tubercles; setal pairs
c1-c1
and
d1-d1
not inserted on single tubercles. Dorsal setae
v2
,
sc1
,
sc2
,
c1
,
c3
,
d1
,
d3
,
e3
,
f2
,
h1
,
h2
present; setae
f3
absent. Most dorsal setae broad, with strong lateral barbs, finely pubescent on dorsal surface and smooth ventrally, except setae
sc1
elongate barbed; setae
c1
short; setae
d1
,
h1
minute, barbed;
h2
with minute club. Venter finely plicate; setae
1a
,
1b
,
2b
,
2c
,
3a
,
3b
,
4a1
,
4a2
,
4b
,
ag
,
g1
,
g2
,
ps1
,
ps2
present. Setae
1a
,
1b
,
4a1-2
elongate, extremely fine distally. Palps 3-segmented, with setal formula 0, 2, 0(2); palp tarsus with two eupathidia. Leg chaetotaxy: nude trochanters and genua (male with
v’
on tr I); no additions from deutonymph to female (
v’
tr I,
l’
fe I, ω’ ta I
–
IV are added from deutonymph to male); female fe I with 3 setae (male fe I with 4 setae). Leg chaetotaxy in all stages almost identical to that of
Gahniacarus
, except
Cyperacarus
with nude trochanters in all stages and male adds one seta to fe I (
l’
) (
Table 1
).
Immatures.
Opisthosomal setal pair
c1
, inserted on single central tubercle, is much longer in immature stages than in the adult. Larva with posterior opisthosomal setae
d1
,
e3
,
h1
minute, and setae
f2
short. Protonymph with posterior opisthosomal setae
d1
,
e3
,
h1
minute, and setae
f2
similar to other dorsal setae. Deutonymph with posterior opisthosomal setae
d1
,
h1
minute, and setae
e3
,
f2
similar to other dorsal setae. Leg chaetotaxy: no setae added to the larval complement on the femora, genua or tibiae during development; tr I
–
IV and ge I
–
IV are nude in all stages. The leg chaetotaxies of the larva and protonymph are identical to those found on
Gahniacarus
gen. nov.
(
Table 1
).
Remarks.
Cyperacarus
can be separated from
Gahniacarus
gen. nov.
by the absence of dorsal opisthosomal setae
f3
(present in
Gahniacarus
), and by the size of setae
d1
which is minute in
Cyperacarus
, but similar in size to other dorsal setae in
Gahniacarus
. The two new genera
Gahniacarus
and
Cyperacarus
both have dorsal opisthosomal setae
c1
present, dorsal opisthosomal setae
e1
absent and nude ge I-IV. In comparison, the two previously known tenuipalpid genera associated with
Cyperaceae
in
Australia
possess the following characters: dorsal opisthosomal setae
c1
absent, dorsal opisthosomal setae
e1
present, ge I-IV
Acaricis
2-2-1-0,
Prolixus
2-1-0-0. See
Table 2
for further morphological differences.
Etymology.
This genus is named for the family of plants on which it was collected,
Cyperaceae
.