A review of the family Alycidae (Acari, Acariformes) from South Africa Author Uusitalo, Matti Zoological Museum, Centre for Biodiversity, University of Turku, FIN- 20014 Turku, Finland Author Ueckermann, Edward A. 0000-0003-4213-4309 Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, Potchefstroom Campus, North-West University, Private Bag X 6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa & https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 4213 - 4309 Author Theron, Pieter D. 0000-0003-4213-4309 Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, Potchefstroom Campus, North-West University, Private Bag X 6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa & https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 4213 - 4309 text Zootaxa 2020 2020-10-01 4858 3 301 340 journal article 8277 10.11646/zootaxa.4858.3.1 f8abea37-7992-482c-8a49-982d08cf9f66 1175-5326 4412321 7BA52F1C-4084-4915-A7D9-8DA99379086B Petralycus brevicornis Theron, 1977 ( Figs. 134E, F , 135A, C ) Petralycus brevicornis Theron, 1977: 42 , figs. 16–29. Description. Dorsum ( Figs. 134E, F , 135B ). Length ca. 480 μm; irregularily arranged dorsal setae slightly swollen; tiny additional setae on ventral side; naso short, broad at base, abruptly tapering to a sharp point, setae vi twice as long as setae sce , setae in and exp absent, filiform sensilla sci sparsely ciliated and clavate sensilla ve barbed. Venter. Genital valves each with 16-17 genital setae; 4 anal setae per valve. Gnathosoma ( Fig. 135C ). Pair of smooth cheliceral setae dorsally; rutella pointed; no additional setae on subcapitulum (three pairs present); palpal tarsi with enlarged solenidion reaching over two mucronate, terminal eupathids. Legs. Solenidial formula for tarsi, tibiae, genua and femora on legs I, II, III and IV, respectively: 1-1-0-0, 2-2-2- 2, 5-1-2-2, 2-0-0-0, all solenidia baculiform, also smaller solenidia are subequal in width, i.e. they are not tapering as the ceratiform solenidia do; tarsi I with several barbed eupathids and a spine-like famulus distally. Type material examined. Holotype male from pasture soil, Badplaas , MPUMALANGA PROVINCE , April 1972 , K.N. de Kock. Deposited at the Mite Collection of ARC-Plant Health and Protection , Pretoria , South Africa . Differential diagnosis. This neotrichous species can be differentiated from all the other petralycines by having only two pairs of prodorsal setae ( vi and sce ) present (the pairs of setae in and exp are absent), an abruptly tapering, short naso and setae vi two times longer than setae sce .