Punctoribates (?) perlongus

Mahunka, S., 2001, Oribatids from Switzerland IX (Acari: Oribatidae, Mycobatidae 2) (Acarologica Genavensia CI), Archives des Sciences, Geneve 54, pp. 129-138 : 129

[ Punctoribates (?) perlongus Balogh]

As I have already mentioned, during these studies an extraordinary species belonging to this group was discovered (described by Balogh from Hungary in 1959). Originally this species was relegated to the genus Punctoribates with a query mark, thus: Punctoribates (?) perlongus . Later, Saldybina, (in her comprehensive work in Giljarov & Krivoluckij, 1975), accepted this species as a Punctoribates with "European" distribution, without making reference to more precise locality data. As far as I know definite and new distributional references may be found only in the work of Pérez-Ínigo (1993).

Apparently, he did not examine the species in more detail, since he makes no mention of certain striking characteristics, nor does he deal with a generic relegation of the species, leaving it in the genus Punctoribates .

On the occasion of the new appearance of this species, I examined the problem in detail, since in recent years much data have been published on the mycobatid-minunthozetid groups (see the introductory part and also the references of Mahunka, 2001). It was revealed that, on the basis of its most important features, (e.g. the divided nature of the posteromedian tectum of the notogaster, three pairs of notogastral areae porosae) the species cannot belong in Punctoribates Berlese, 1908. Indeed, since its combination of characteristics differs from all other known genera, the establishment of a new genus ( Schweizerzetes gen. n.) would seem appropriate. The species was described by Balogh (1959) from the westernmost parts of Hungary ( Felsömarác, Vas County) recovered from a Sphagnum bog. Its Swiss locality lies in a mountainous (1800 m) region, and the specimens were extracted from moss samples taken at the foot of a mountain. The present comparative examination and redescription are based on the holotype and the Swiss specimens.