Mesopotamiophorus babylonicus Sevastianov and Zahida Al Douri, 1991

Khaustov, Alexandr A., 2011, Nomenclature changes in the mite families Neopygmephoridae and Pygmephoridae (Acari: Heterostigmata: Pygmephoroidea) with redescription of two little known species, Zootaxa 2809, pp. 47-57 : 51

Mesopotamiophorus babylonicus Sevastianov and Zahida Al Douri, 1991

Pediculaster paucisetosus Sevastianov and Chydyrov, 1991: 136 , fig. 1 syn. nov.

Khaustov & Chydyrov (2003) described the monobasic genus Asiapygmephorus Khaustov and Chydyrov, 2003 with the type species Pediculaster paucisetosus Sevastianov and Chydyrov, 1991 from Turkmenistan and redescribed females of P. paucisetosus . Earlier Sevastianov & Zahida Al Douri (1991) described the monotypic genus Mesopotamiophorus Sevastianov and Zahida Al Douri, 1991 with the type species Mesopotamiophorus babylonicus Sevastianov and Zahida Al Douri, 1991 from Iraq. My examination of the holotype of Mesopotamiophorus babylonicus Sevastianov and Zahida Al Douri, 1991 revealed conspecificity of M. babylonicus and Asiapygmephorus paucisetosus . Therefore I consider the genus Asiapygmephorus syn. nov. as a junior synonym of Mesopotamiophorus and Asiapygmephorus paucisetosus syn. nov. as a junior synonym of Mesopotamiophorus babylonicus .

Material examined. Female holotype of Mesopotamiophorus babylonicus Sevastianov and Zahida Al Douri, 1991 , slide 841, IRAQ: vicinity of El-Musayib, soil under barley, 4 April 1987, coll. N.D.Zahida Al Douri; one female of Pediculaster paucisetosus Sevastianov and Chydyrov, 1991 , TURKMENISTAN: Chardzhou Reg., soil, cotton field, 12 July1990, coll. P.R. Chydyrov; 1 female of P. paucisetosus , TURKMENISTAN: Chorshanga Reg., settl. Megedjek, soil, wheat field, 23 October 1996, coll. P.R. Chydyrov; 1 female of A. paucisetosus , TURKMEN- ISTAN: Chardzhou Reg., soil, wheat field, 24 June 1995, coll. P.R. Chydyrov.