Cyperacarus, Beard, Jennifer J. & Ochoa, Ronald, 2011

Beard, Jennifer J. & Ochoa, Ronald, 2011, New flat mite genera (Acari: Trombidiformes: Tenuipalpidae) associated with Australian sedges (Cyperaceae), Zootaxa 2941, pp. 1-37 : 19

Cyperacarus gen. nov. Beard & Ochoa

Type species. Cyperacarus naomae Beard & Ochoa

Diagnosis. Adult female. Body elongate (approximately 3 times longer than wide); anterior margin of propodosoma with three prominent projections—a single median projection without setae, and a pair of prominent lateral projections each bearing setae v2. Dorsal setae sc1, h2 elongate, tapered. Dorsal lateral setae sc1, c3, d3, e3, f2 inserted on prominent tubercles; setal pairs c1-c1 and d1-d1 not inserted on single tubercles. Dorsal setae v2, sc1, sc2, c1, c3, d1, d3, e3, f2, h1, h2 present; setae f3 absent. Most dorsal setae broad, with strong lateral barbs, finely pubescent on dorsal surface and smooth ventrally, except setae sc1 elongate barbed; setae c1 short; setae d1, h1 minute, barbed; h2 with minute club. Venter finely plicate; setae 1a, 1b, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 4a1, 4a2, 4b, ag, g1, g2, ps1, ps2 present. Setae 1a, 1b, 4a1-2 elongate, extremely fine distally. Palps 3-segmented, with setal formula 0, 2, 0(2); palp tarsus with two eupathidia. Leg chaetotaxy: nude trochanters and genua (male with v’ on tr I); no additions from deutonymph to female (v’ tr I, l’ fe I, ω’ ta I – IV are added from deutonymph to male); female fe I with 3 setae (male fe I with 4 setae). Leg chaetotaxy in all stages almost identical to that of Gahniacarus , except Cyperacarus with nude trochanters in all stages and male adds one seta to fe I (l’) ( Table 1 ).

Immatures. Opisthosomal setal pair c1, inserted on single central tubercle, is much longer in immature stages than in the adult. Larva with posterior opisthosomal setae d1, e3, h1 minute, and setae f2 short. Protonymph with posterior opisthosomal setae d1, e3, h1 minute, and setae f2 similar to other dorsal setae. Deutonymph with posterior opisthosomal setae d1, h1 minute, and setae e3, f2 similar to other dorsal setae. Leg chaetotaxy: no setae added to the larval complement on the femora, genua or tibiae during development; tr I – IV and ge I – IV are nude in all stages. The leg chaetotaxies of the larva and protonymph are identical to those found on Gahniacarus gen. nov. ( Table 1 ).

Remarks. Cyperacarus can be separated from Gahniacarus gen. nov. by the absence of dorsal opisthosomal setae f3 (present in Gahniacarus ), and by the size of setae d1 which is minute in Cyperacarus , but similar in size to other dorsal setae in Gahniacarus . The two new genera Gahniacarus and Cyperacarus both have dorsal opisthosomal setae c1 present, dorsal opisthosomal setae e1 absent and nude ge I-IV. In comparison, the two previously known tenuipalpid genera associated with Cyperaceae in Australia possess the following characters: dorsal opisthosomal setae c1 absent, dorsal opisthosomal setae e1 present, ge I-IV Acaricis 2-2-1-0, Prolixus 2-1-0-0. See Table 2 for further morphological differences.

Etymology. This genus is named for the family of plants on which it was collected, Cyperaceae .