Phylleremus n. gen.

Type­species: Phylleremus leei n. sp.

Diagnosis. Species in this genus have the following unique combination of character states: adult with tuberculate, non­birefringent cerotegument; taenidium laterally on prodorsum; notogaster with one or four pairs of minute saccules, saccule Sa positioned on anterior margin of notogaster, far anterior of seta c; nine pairs of notogastral setae; posterior notogastral tectum present, with posteromedial incision covered by pair of overlapping lobes; palpal eupathidium acm attached to solenidion along length; two pairs of adanal setae; immatures apheredermous, plicate; seta p3 absent from both immatures and adults; seta d absent from genua and tibiae in immatures and adults; femora, tibiae and tarsi with ridges running dorsoventrally in nymphs and adults; tarsi I to IV of immatures and adults with large, subunguinal pulvillus.

Description. Adult: Body and legs with weakly developed, tuberculate, non­birefringent cerotegument. Integument with microtubercles. Dorsophragmata and pleurophragmata present, dorsophragmata positioned medially (Fig. 1). Lamellae and genal notch absent. Bothridial seta capitate (Figs 1, 6). Bothridium small, with internal ring­like ridges (Fig. 3). Porose area Ad posterolateral to seta in (Fig. 3). Pedotecta I and II covering base of acetabula I and II, respectively (Fig. 3). Taenidium extending from seta ex to edge of rostrum (Figs 3, 6). Pedotectum I extending dorsally to base of seta ex (Fig. 3). Coxisternal setation: 3­1­2­2 (Fig. 2). Apodemes 2 and sejugal apodeme almost transverse. Custodium absent, discidium developed as tubercle between acetabula III and IV (Fig. 2). Tracheal system normal. Genital setae 5 or 6 pairs. Aggenital setae 1 pair. Anal setae 2 pairs. Adanal setae 2 pairs. Lyrifissure ian absent. Preanal organ as caecum. Postanal porose area absent. Humerosejugal porose areas Am and Ah, absent. Sublamellar porose area Al absent (Fig. 3). Notogaster fused with prodorsum medially, slightly flattened anteriorly, ahumerate (Fig. 1). Octotaxic system present as one or four pairs of saccules, Sa positioned near anterior edge of notogaster, anterior to seta c, and dorsal to dorsosejugal porose area Ad (Figs 1, 19) Nine pairs of notogastral setae present, c2, and l and h series positioned laterally; setae p1 and p2 positioned marginally (Fig. 2); c1, c3, da, dm, dp, and p3 absent. Notogastral tectum present, indented and overlapping posteromedially (Fig. 7). Lyrifissures ia positioned slightly posterolaterally of setae c2, im positioned between setae lm and lp; ih positioned lateral of setae h1 and p1, ip and ips positioned laterally on notogaster anterior to seta p2. Pteromorphs absent. Subcapitulum diarthric, axillary saccule absent from base of palp. Rutellum pantelobasic. Chelicera chelate­dentate with 2 slender, barbed setae. Trägårdh’s organ present. Palp with normal 5 segments and tarsal lyrifissure; setal formula: 0­2­1­3­ 9(1). Eupathidium acm fused with solenidion along length (Fig. 17). Legs monodactyl, tarsi with subunguinal pulvillus (Figs 15, 16). Femora I to IV and trochanters III and IV with porose areas (Figs 8–11). Famulus (e) rod­like, rounded distally. Seta d absent from tibiae I to IV and genua I to III. Solenidion ω2 present on tarsus II. Solenidia on tibiae and genua short, other than φ 1 on tibia I. Tibia I without tubercle projecting over base of tarsus I.

Immatures: Apheredermous, plicate, without hysterosomal macrosclerites or excentrosclerites. Line of dehiscence extends anterior to seta c2 (Fig. 12). Cerotegument tuberculate (Fig. 18). Integument smooth. Prodorsal porose regions present (Fig. 12). Gastronotal setation bideficient; larva with 12, nymphs with 14 pairs of setae (f1, p3 absent). Gastronotal setae of c, d, and l series monomorphic in nymphs (Figs 12, 20). Opisthonotal gland present in all instars. Coxisternal porose regions present in all nymphs (Fig. 13). Porose regions present lateral of genital region, in adanal region, and surrounding opening of opisthonotal gland in all nymphs (Fig. 13; porose regions lateral of genital region not illustrated). Apodemato­acetabular tracheal system or porose homologues absent. Paraprocts atrichous in larva, protonymph and deutonymph. Genital and aggenital setal formula (larva to adult): 0­1­3­5­6 or 0­1­?­4­5, and 0­0­1­1­1, respectively. Cupule development normal. Bothridium, bothridial seta and seta in fully formed in all immatures. Bothridium cup­shaped. Seta d absent from tibiae I to IV and genua I to III. Setation of protonymphal leg IV normal: 0­0­0­0­7.

Etymology. The generic prefix “Phyll” is from the Greek “phyllon” meaning leaf, and refers to the leaf habitat of members of this genus; “eremus” is a common suffix for oribatid genera and is from the Greek “eremos’ meaning solitary.