Paratanaupodus André & Lelievre-Farjon, 1960

Zhang, Zhi-Qiang & Fan, Qing-Hai, 2007, Allotanaupodidae, a new family of early derivative Parasitengona (Acari: Prostigmata), Zootaxa 1517, pp. 1-52 : 50

Paratanaupodus André & Lelievre-Farjon, 1960

Paratanaupodus André & Lelievre-Farjon, 1960 . Acarologia 2: 466.

Diagnosis

Adults and deutonymphs: Paratanaupodinae without dorsal lateral plates bearing multiple setae. Dorsal setae of hysterosoma smooth and short, each set on a small platelet. Pregenital tubercles absent. Only two pairs of genital acetabula present in adults. Anus with a pair of valves each bearing two setae. Each leg terminating in a pair of strong claws. Palpfemur with a ventral seta distinctly longer than other setae of the segment. Palptibia not elongate nor shortened, about twice as long as “tibial claw”. Palptarsus with four terminal eupathidia, but without a thick and short spine-like seta. Leg IV longer than leg I.

Larvae not known.

Type species

Paratanaupodus insensus André & Lelievre-Farjon, 1960 (original designation).

Remarks

This genus is represented by the type species only. It was placed in Tanaupodinae Thor, 1935 (now Tanaupodidae ) by André & Lelievre-Farjon (1960). Robaux (1968) noted that this genus should be placed elsewhere but made no decisions. It is here placed in Paratanaupodinae subfam. nov. of Allotanaupodidae fam. nov. for its lack of eyes, trichobothria and sensory areas and the presence of only two pairs of genital acetabula in adults. The lack of dorsal hysterosomal lateral plates with multiple setae distinguishes it from other members of this new family known in New Zealand and indeed might suggest that it should be placed elsewhere if other lines of evidence become available. For the time being, it seems most reasonable to place it in this new family.