Megisthanidae (Womersley, 1937)

Seeman, Owen D., 2019, The megisthanid mites (Mesostigmata: Megisthanidae) of Australia, Zootaxa 4563 (1), pp. 1-40 : 37-38

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4563.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A44D4C11-ADA1-48A8-9F00-B46BDF7B2A49
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5924279
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B63A50-8D59-015A-FF60-10E302CA4241
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Megisthanidae
status

Treatment

Key to species of Australian Megisthanidae View in CoL View at ENA (females required; males supplementary)

1. Dorsal shield lyriform ( Fig. 6A View FIGURE 6 ); posterior dorsal shield setae thick, short, with strong barbs ( Figs 7 View FIGURE 7 D–E); internal genitalia with well-developed latigynal element ( Fig. 7B View FIGURE 7 )............................................................. 2

- Dorsal shield ovate ( Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 ); posterior dorsal setae slender, usually longer, smooth or with fine barbs ( Figs 3D View FIGURE 3 , 17C View FIGURE 17 ); internal genitalia lacking well-developed latigynal element ( Figs 3 View FIGURE 3 B–C)................................................. 3

2. Posterior dorsal shield setae each with 0–2 barbs ( Fig. 7D View FIGURE 7 )......................................... M. leviathanicus

- Posterior dorsal shield setae with many (ca. 10) barbs ( Fig. 7E View FIGURE 7 )................................. M. manonae sp. nov.

3. Seta pd2 on femur IV on large projection ( Fig. 17D View FIGURE 17 ); dorsal shield densely covered with short fine setae ( Fig. 16A View FIGURE 16 ); sternogynal shields widely separated (by about width of sternogynal shield) ( Fig. 17A View FIGURE 17 )................... M. womersleyi sp. nov.

- Seta pd2 on femur IV not on projection ( Fig. 3E View FIGURE 3 ); dorsal shield less hypertrichous, with at least some long setae ( Figs 1A View FIGURE 1 , 12A View FIGURE 12 , 21A View FIGURE 21 ); sternogynal shields not widely separated (by much less than width of sternogynal shield) ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 )................ 4

4. Medial dorsal shield with two distinct types of setae: a short, heavily barbed form and a long, smooth or sparsely barbed form ( Figs 11 View FIGURE 11 A–B)......................................................................................... 5

- Medial dorsal shield with one type of seta, a long, smooth, barbed form (some long setae may be present on margins) ( Figs 1A View FIGURE 1 , 12A View FIGURE 12 , 21A View FIGURE 21 )........................................................................................... 6

5. Medial opisthosoma with distinct patch of short pilose setae ( Fig. 11B View FIGURE 11 )................................... M. thorelli

- Medial opisthosoma without distinct patch of short pilose setae ( Fig. 11A View FIGURE 11 ), differentiation between long and short setal types less distinct than on podosoma........................................................... M. simoneae sp. nov.

6. Setae st4 present ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ); host Pharochilus spp............................................. M. modestus sp. nov.

- Setae st4 absent ( Figs 14A View FIGURE 14 , 22B View FIGURE 22 ); host Aulacocyclus spp....................................................... 7

7. Podonotum and opisthonotum densely setose ( Fig. 12A View FIGURE 12 ); genital setae long, 60–110; with 5–11 setae behind margin of genital shield ( Fig. 14A View FIGURE 14 ); male sternoventral shield highly hypertrichous around genital opening (approximately 50-60 setae; Fig. 14D View FIGURE 14 )............................................................................... M. southcotti sp. nov.

- Podonotum more setose than opisthonotum ( Fig. 21A View FIGURE 21 ); genital setae short, 20–35; with 0–2 setae behind margin of genital shield ( Fig. 22A View FIGURE 22 ); male sternoventral shield much less hypertrichous around genital opening (at most 20 setae; Fig. 22E View FIGURE 22 )........................................................................................ M. zachariei sp. nov.