Agauopsis arabia Bartsch & Chatterjee, 2001

Chatterjee, Tapas, 2022, An annotated checklist of halacarid mites (Acari, Halacaridae) from India, Zootaxa 5141 (4), pp. 301-320 : 302-303

Agauopsis arabia Bartsch & Chatterjee, 2001

Records from India. ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS: Chiriatapu (Andaman Islands), among coralline algae Halimeda opuntia — Chatterjee et al. (2004a), Bartsch (2015). ANDHRA PRADESH: Palm beach, Visakhapatnam, among intertidal algae Caulerpa racemosa , Gracilaria sp. — Chatterjee et al. (2004a). GOA: Anjuna beach and Vagator beach, among mixed intertidal algae— Chatterjee & Guru (2011a). KERALA: Kovalam beach, among algae— Bartsch & Chatterjee (2001), Chatterjee (1995a, 1996a, 2004a).

Distribution. ITE— India (Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Kerala).

Remarks. This species belongs to ‘ Agauopsis brevipalpus group’.

Rao & Ganapati (1968) reported Agauopsis brevipalpus Trouessart in the fauna from interstitial sand of Visakhapatnam (= Waltair) coast, Andhra Pradesh (Bay of Bengal). Chatterjee (1995a, 1996a) documented A. brevipalpus from Kovalam beach, Kerala (Arabian Sea). After more careful examinations of individuals from Kerala Bartsch & Chatterjee (2001) considered that these to be similar but not conspecific with A. brevipalpus , and consequently described a new species, A. arabia . Collection was made by Chatterjee et al. (2004a) from Palm beach, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh indicate that the species from there is A. arabia and not A. brevipalpus as claimed by Rao & Ganapati (1968).