Dendrozetes Aoki, 1970

Lindo, Zoë, 2018, Diversity of Peloppiidae (Oribatida) in North America, Acarologia 58 (8), pp. 91-97 : 93

Dendrozetes Aoki

Dendrozetes is unique among the Peloppiidae in the following combination of character states: chelicerae chelate-dentate, sejugal apodeme conspicuous and straight, tridactyl pretarsus, lamellar cusps absent, and bothridial seta capitate. There are two described species, the first of which, D. caudatus Aoki , occupies arboreal habitats in northern Japan ( Aoki 1970)

and the second, Dendrozetes jordani Lindo Clayton & Behan-Pelletier , that also occupies arboreal habitats in coastal North America. The two species are differentiated by the number of prominent posterior setae (h series) with D. caudatus possessing two pairs, and D. jordani possessing a single pair. Dendrozetes jordani shares an arboreal habitat lifestyle with its congener, being found on bare branch tips of mostly conifer species, e.g. western hemlock ( Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg ) ( Winchester et al. 2008). Dendrozetes jordani has been collected only from seven locations, six of which are on Vancouver Island, British Columbia and the seventh in Washington State, however given its strictly arboreal habitats, it may be under-sampled and more widespread than records indicate.