Copriphis falcinellus (R. & G.Canestrini, 1882)

Mašán, Peter & Halliday, Bruce, 2010, Review of the European genera of Eviphididae (Acari: Mesostigmata) and the species occurring in Slovakia 2585, Zootaxa 2585, pp. 1-122 : 42

Copriphis falcinellus (G. & R. Canestrini)

Laelaps falcinellus G. & R. Canestrini, 1882b: 923.

Eviphis falcinellus .— Ryke & Meyer, 1957: 603; Shoemake, 1970: 53.

Copriphis falcinellus .— Castagnoli & Pegazzano, 1985: 140.

Iphis drepanogaster Berlese, 1882b: 924 ; 1882c: 3; 1883: 217; 1892d: 40, synonymy by Berlese (1882c, 1892d, 1920). Eviphis drepanogaster .— Ogandzhanyan, 1970: 60; Bregetova, 1977a: 558 ; Karg, 1993: 94; Ma, 1995: 159.

Eviphis cryptognathus Gu & Bai, 1990: 449 , synonymised with Copriphis drepanogaster by Ma (2006).

Remarks. Copriphis falcinellus was described from moss in Sicily by G. & R. Canestrini (1882b). Under other names, it has been recorded from moss and Scarabaeus beetles in Italy ( Berlese 1882b, 1882c), from Scarabaeidae in Armenia ( Ogandzhanyan 1970), Greece ( Castagnoli & Pegazzano 1985), China ( Gu & Bai 1990; Ma 1995) and the former USSR ( Bregetova 1977a ), and from a rodent nest and phoretic on scarabs in Europe and Asia ( Karg 1993). This species has not yet been recorded in Slovakia, but it appears to be widespread in South Europe. We include it here in order to consolidate its synonymy. The single female in the Berlese Acaroteca is labelled Copriphis falcinellus (slide 196/7), it is recognisable and in good condition. None of the original slides labelled drepanogaster were found in Florence.