Theaphyes, Han, Xiao, Zuo, Yun, Xue, Xiao-Feng & Hong, Xiao-Yue, 2015

Han, Xiao, Zuo, Yun, Xue, Xiao-Feng & Hong, Xiao-Yue, 2015, Eriophyoid mites (Acari, Eriophyoidea) associated with tea plants, with descriptions of a new genus and two new species, ZooKeys 534, pp. 1-16 : 3-4

Taxon classification Animalia Prostigmata Eriophyidae

Theaphyes gen. n.

Type species.

Theaphyes rapaneae sp. n.

Diagnosis.

Body fusiform; scapular tubercles placed ahead of rear shield margin and scapular setae projecting upwards; frontal shield lobe absent. All coxal setae pre sent; antaxial genual seta absent from leg II; tarsal solenidion slightly knobbed, located below empodium; empodium entire. Opisthosoma with a wide dorsal furrow; all usual opisthosoma setae present with the exception of setae e and h1; female genital cover flap appressed to coxal plates.

Etymology.

The genus designation is the combination of Thea- and -phyes; Thea- is derived from the family name of the host plant, -phyes is derived from the type genus Eriophyes in the family Eriophyidae . The gender is feminine.

Remarks.

The new genus is assigned to the Family Eriophyidae , Subfamily Cecidophyinae, Tribe Colomerini . It is similar to Epicecidophyes clerodendris Mondal & Chakrabarti, 1981, but can be differentiated from the latter by the absence of opisthosomal setae e (setae e are present in Epicecidophyes ) and by a wide furrow on the dorsal opisthosoma (a broad middorsal ridge is on the dorsal opisthosoma of Epicecidophyes ). The tarsal solenidion is located below the empodium similarly to Catachela machaerii Keifer, 1969, Dechela epelis Keifer, 1965 and Dechela phoebe Wang, Han, Xue & Hong, 2014.