Testudacarus binodipalpis Guo & Jin, 2005

O'Neill, Joseph C., Fisher, J. Ray, Nelson, Whitney A., Skvarla, Micheal J., Fisher, Danielle M. & Dowling, Ashley P. G., 2016, Systematics of testudacarine torrent mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia, Torrenticolidae) with descriptions of 13 new species from North America, ZooKeys 582, pp. 13-110 : 88-89

Taxon classification Animalia Trombidiformes Torrenticolidae

Testudacarus binodipalpis Guo & Jin, 2005

Testudacarus binodipalpis : Guo and Jin 2005: 70; Jin et al. 2010: 111.

Type series.

Holotype (1♀): Guizhou, China: Mt. Fanjing (27°49'-28.01'N, 108°46'-108°49'E), 29 July 2001, by Guo Jian-Jun, 2001-VII-291; Paratype (1♀): Guizhou, China: Mt. Fanjing (27°49'-28.01'N, 108°46'-108°49'E), 4 Aug 2001, by Guo Jian-Jun, 2001-VII-292.

The types were not examined for this publication; contact with the authors was attempted but unsuccessful and the the types were not examined.

Type deposition.

Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University.

Diagnosis.

These mites can differ from all other Testudacarinae by distribution (China) and from Testudacarus tripeltatus by their small size (dorsal length <700 µm). More research and updated descriptions are needed for a better diagnosis.

Distribution.

Mt. Fanjing ( Guo and Jin 2005) and Fujian, China ( Jin et al. 2010).

Remarks.

Testudacarus binodipalpis was described from one female and one “male.” The described “male” is almost certainly a female as it exhibits all female sexual characters and no ejaculatory complex is noted in the description. However, these two females differ in some noteworthy respects. From illustrations it appears that the smaller female seems to have undergone tertiary sclerotization, while the larger female seems to have only undergone primary and secondary sclerotization. The size and positioning of lateral platelets are also quite different in each specimen. For these reasons the specimens should be re-examined as they might represent two species diagnosable by size. Guo and Jin (2005) state that Testudacarus binodipalpis can be separated from other Testudacarus by "the possession of 2 tubercles on the ventral surface of the" pedipalp tibia and the genu and femur "both with a feathered seta on the ventral surface." These pedipalp characters do not work as they are plesiomorphic for all Testudacarus (Fig. 5). Guo and Jin (2005) also state that the "dorsal and ventral apodeme both [have] a round terminal tip; [coxae-IV] with a triangular base." These additional characters are unhelpful in separating any testudacarines.