Propeaciota, Chakrabarti, Samiran, Sur, Surajit, Roy, Sourav & Sarkar, Sanjay, 2017

Chakrabarti, Samiran, Sur, Surajit, Roy, Sourav & Sarkar, Sanjay, 2017, Two new genera and two new species of eriophyoid mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea) from North Bengal, India, Zootaxa 4236 (1), pp. 172-182 : 173

Propeaciota n. gen.

Generic diagnosis. Body fusiform, prodorsal shield with anterior obtuse lobe over gnathosoma. Opisthosoma with broad and stout dorsal annuli and narrow microtuberculated ventral annuli; dorsum with 1 or 2 distinct lateral ridges and median region either flat or with one shallow medio-longitudinal trough extending up to end of opisthosoma, lateral margin of dorsal annuli on lower side almost pointed. Dorsal tubercle with scapular seta sc on rear shield margin, directed posteriorly or laterally divergent. Coxae with granulations at their bases, all coxal setae present. Tarsal empodium em entire and with stout base, paraxial tibial seta lʹ absent, antaxial genual setae lʺ on leg II present. All opisthosomal ventral setae except h1 seta present. Epigynium with longitudinal scorings. Internal genitalia with anterior apodeme curved downward.

Type species. Propeaciota genusetosis n. sp.

Species included. Propeaceota genusetosis n. sp. and Propeaceota secundum ( Flechtmann et al. 1995) n. comb.

Etymology. The generic name Propeaciota is neuter and is derived from the Latin word “ prope ” meaning ‘near to’ and used here as an adjective of the genus Aciota Keifer.

Differential diagnosis. Keifer (1959) erected the genus Aciota with Aciota costae as its type infesting Tibouchina mutabili s (Vell.) Cogn. ( Melastomataceae ) in Brazil. The distinguishing features of this genus are broad flat back, flanked on each side by two lateral ridges, on the lower of which there is an acute point on each tergite. The prodorsal tubercles are laterally placed and the scapular setae sc are diverged to the rear. Keifer (1959) mentioned “ Legs with all usual Phyllocoptine setae except for missing fore tibial seta”. The figure provided clearly showed that antaxial genual setae lʺ on leg II were absent. Flechtmann et al. (1995) added another species, Aciota secundum in this genus and mentioned the presence of antaxial genual setae lʺ on leg II in this species. However , Amrine et al. (2003) in the key provided mentioned “ Tibial and genu II setae absent” in Aciota .

We have collected an eriophyoid that fits mostly with Aciota Keifer, 1959 but with antaxial genual setae lʺ on leg II as is found in A. secundum Flechtmann et al. 1995 . This has necessitated the erection of a new genus to accommodate our sample of eriophyoid and A. secundum .

Propeaciota n. gen. belongs to the tribe Tegonotini and is very close to Aciota in many characters such as location and direction of scapular seta sc, presence of lateral opisthosomal ridges and setae c2, absence of antaxial tibial seta lʹ besides scoring pattern on epigynum. However, antaxial genual setae lʺ on leg II are present in the new genus that are absent in Aciota . Another genus in Tegonotini , Neoshevtchenkella Kuang and Zhuo (1989) is very much close to Aciota and shows similarity with Propeaciota but can be separated from both by the presence of antaxial tibial seta lʹ on leg I and absence of antaxial genual setae lʺ on leg II as found in Neoshevtchenkella .

In having setae c2, dorsal tubercles with scapular setae sc directed posteriorly, presence of antaxial genual setae lʺ on leg II and long tarsal setae u ′, Propeaciota shows its closeness to Siamina Chandrapatya and Boczek, 1993 , Acalox Keifer, 1975 , Scolotosus Flechtmann and Keifer, 1971 , Tegophyes Chandrapatya and Boczek, 2001 and Shevtchenkella Bagdasarian, 1978 . But it differs from all the above genera by the absence of tibial setae on both leg I and leg II. The presence of antaxial genual setae lʺ on leg II and scapular setae sc of prodorsal tubercles directed posteriorly also bring this new genus close to Thacra Keifer, 1978 . Again in the later genus setae c2 are absent and only antaxial tibial setae lʹ on leg I are present.