Listropsoralges Fain, 1965

Grootaert, Patrick, 2013, Revision of the family Listropsoralgidae Fain, 1965 (Acariformes: Sarcoptoidea) - skin parasites of marsupials and rodents 3611, Zootaxa 3611 (1), pp. 1-69 : 13

Genus Listropsoralges Fain, 1965

Listropsoralges Fain, 1965: 18 ; Fain and Lukoschus 1970: 50, 1979: 387; Bochkov and Wauthy 2009: 270.

Type species: Listropsoralges marmosae Fain, 1965 , by original designation.

Description. Subcapitulum ventrally with pair of small medially positioned retrorse spurs. Propodonotal and hysteronotal shields with or without ornamentation. Setae c1 absent or, more rarely, present (in L. caenolestes sp. n.); cp and c3 filiform, d1 absent; h1 present; h2 whip-like; ps1 present. Coxal fields I with lateral projection each. Tibiae I and II without additional ventro-antiaxial spur. Genua I and II with ventro-antiaxial retrorse projection (with small membrane in L. caenolestes sp. n.). Setae la I and II absent.

FEMALE. Antero-lateral lobes of propodonotal shield absent. Epigynum distinctly developed, located immediately posterior to distal ends of apodemes Ia. Setae 1a situated at distal ends of apodemes Ia; 4a situated slightly anterior to or at level of coxal fields IV; ps2 and ps3 filiform. Opening of bursa copulatrix situated ventrally. Posterior projection of coxal fields IV widely rounded (triangular in L. caenolestes sp. n.). Genua III with small ventro-paraxial membrane (in L. brevisetosus sp. n. only cuticular fold present). Ambulacral disc of tarsi III present or absent, ambulacral disc on tarsi IV present. Setae f III filiform, r IV present.

MALE. Genital papillae absent. Setae f thickened; ps1 filiform, g flanking aedeagus. Opisthosomal lobes moderately developed or absent. Dorsal sclerite of aedeagus with posterior median projection bifurcated posteriorly. Setae s III and e IV absent. Genua III without ventro-paraxial keel. Tibiae III with paraxial keel along full length of segment. Ambulacra of tarsi IV present.

TRITONYMPH. Dorsal shields fused or not, ornamented or not. Antero-lateral lobes of propodonotal shield absent. Idiosomal setae f2 absent. Coxal fields I with lateral projection each; additional internal projections of coxal fields II absent. Tarsus III with or without pretarsus. Genua III with small ventro-paraxial membrane. Legs IV 1- segmented with 1 apical seta.

Species included: L. brevisetosus sp. n., L. caenolestes sp. n., L. caluromys Bochkov and Wauthy, 2009 , L. faini Bochkov and Wauthy, 2009 , L. marmosae Fain, 1965 , L. monodelphis Fain, 1965 , L. similis sp. n., L. thylamys sp. n., and L. vossi sp. n.

Hosts. South American marsupials of the orders Didelphimorphia and Paucituberculata .

Remark. Sexual dimorphism is present in tritonymphs. In male tritonymphs (containing male), setae se are short, about 2–2.5 times longer than si and distinctly not reaching the level of c2 bases. In female tritonymphs (containing female or were carried by males during pre-copulatory guarding), setae se are long, reaching the level of c2 bases. It should be mentioned that tritonymphs in species with short setae se like L. brevisetosus are unknown. Therefore it is possible that in such species other characters could be involved for the sex differentiation.