Neoathyreacarus, Khaustov & Frolov, 2022

Khaustov, Alexander A. & Frolov, Andrey V., 2022, New taxa of Athyreacaridae (Acari: Heterostigmata) from Neotropical and Afrotropical realms, Zootaxa 5188 (6), pp. 501-520 : 502

Genus Neoathyreacarus gen. nov.

Type species: Neoathyreacarus pygmephoroides sp. nov.

Diagnosis (adult female only). With all characters of the family ( Khaustov & Frolov 2019). Gnathosoma. Gnathosoma dorsally with two pairs of cheliceral setae (cha, chb); palps ventrally with small accessory setigenous structure medially and baculiform solenidion laterally; palp tibiotarsus without lateral seta, distally with short rodlike eupathid and well developed tibial claw, subcapitulum with only one pair of setae (m), setae n absent. Pharynx weakly sclerotized, not clearly subdivided laterally into pharyngeal pumps. Cheliceral stylets very short and thin.

Idiosomal dorsum. Prodorsum with three setae (v1, v2, sc2) and alveolar pits sc1. Bothridia absent. Stigmata located near anterolateral corners of prodorsal shield. Tergite C entire, not subdivided into median and lateral parts.

Idiosomal venter. Genital setae absent. Pseudanal segment with three pairs of setae (ps1-3) located ventrally; anal opening small, located ventrally.

Legs. Leg I with large tarsal claw ridged on inner surface. Unguinal setae (u’, u”) on tarsus I separated, modified, spine-like, with weak ridges on inner surface. Tarsi II and III with large claws distinctly thickened near their bases. Claws on tarsus IV not thickened basally. Empodium on tarsi II-IV large, weakly plicate on ventral surface. Leg setation. Leg I: Tr 1 (v’), Fe 5 (d, l’, l”, v’, v”), Ge 4 (l’, l”, v’, v”), Ti 6 (2) (k, d, l’, l”, v’, v”, φ1, φ2), Ta 13 (2) (p’, p”, tc’. tc”, ft’, ft”, pl’, pl”, u’, u”, s, pv’, pv”, ω1, ω2); leg II: Tr 1 (v’), Fe 3 (d, l’, v”), Ge 3 (l’, l”, v’), Ti 4 (1) (d, l’, v’, v”, φ), Ta 7 (1) (pl”, tc’, tc”, u’, u”, pv’, pv”, ω); leg III: Tr 1 (v’), Fe 2 (d, v’), Ge 3 (l’, l”, v’), Ti 4 (1) (d, l’, v’, v”, φ), Ta 7 (pl”, tc’, tc”, u’, u”, pv’, pv”); leg IV: Tr 1 (v’), Fe 2 (d, v’), Ge 2 (l”, v’), Ti 4 (1) (d, l’, v’, v”, φ), Ta 6 (pl”, tc’, tc”, u’, pv’, pv”). Solenidion φ on tibiae II-IV located in anterior part of segment.

Species included. The genus Neoathyreacarus includes one species: N. pygmephoroides sp. nov.

Distribution and hosts. N. pygmephoroides sp. nov. is recorded from Chile on the bolboceratine beetle Bolborhinum tubericeps Fairmaire ( Coleoptera : Geotrupidae ).

Differential diagnosis. The new genus is most similar to Athyreacarus in having three pairs of pseudanal setae, absence of bothridia and setae sc1 represented by alveolar pits. The new genus differs from Athyreacarus in having only one pair of subcapitular setae (two in Athyreacarus ), entire tergite C (subdivided into median and lateral parts in Athyreacarus ), absence of setae d on genu I and p’ on tarsus IV (present in Athyreacarus ), pharynx not clearly subdivided into four pharyngeal pumps (pharynx clearly subdivided into four pharyngeal pumps in Athyreacarus ), and very small cheliceral stylets (large in Athyreacarus ).

Etymology. The name of the new genus is a combination of two words: Greek neos meaning new, and Athyreacarus , the name of closely related genus.