Vitzthumegistidae, fam. nov.: trigynaspid mites on terrestrial hermit crabs (Anactinotrichida: Mesostigmata: Trigynaspida)
2015 - Volume: 55 Issue: 2 pages: 201-208
https://doi.org/10.1051/acarologia/20152161
Keywords
Acari
Parasitiformes
Antennophoriae
Cercomegistiae
Cercomegistoidea
nomen nudum
nomen novum
mite-host association
Coenobita
Abstract
A new family of cercomegistoid mesostigmatid mites, Vitzthumegistidae, including the species of Vitzthumegistus paguroxenus (Andre, 1937b) (= Physalozercon paguroxenus Andre, 1937b); V. latronis (Vitzthum, 1937) (= Cyclothorax latronis Vitzthum, 1937); and V. andrei (a nomen novum for Cyclothorax carcinicola von Frauenfeld, 1868, sensu Vitzthum, 1928), has been proposed. This family differs from the Cercomegistidae by the following characters: a holodorsal shield, absence of presternal shield, weakly sclerotized or vestigial (neither paired nor fragmented) sternal shield in the female, a smooth anterior and lateral margin of gnathotectum, and heavily branched (polyramous) hypostomal setae 1 (hs1) in the adult. The Vitzthumegistidae fam. nov. becomes biologically a unique group within the Trigynaspida, in which the members exhibit associations with paguroid hermit crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Paguroidea) in the Indo-Pacific region. A key to species of the Vitzthumegistus is provided.
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