Four new cunaxoidine genera (Aeari: Prostigmata: Cunaxidae) and the description of two new Neotropical species

摘要

In this paper the genus Cunaxoides Baker & Hoffmann, 1948, as delimited by Den Heyer (1979a, 1981b), is revised and divided into five genera, viz. Cunaxoides Baker & Hoffmann, Bunaxella gen. nov., Dunaxeus gen. nov., Funaxopsis gen. nov. and Qunaxellagen.nov.. Two new Neotropical species, Dunaxoides duosetosus and Qunaxella triasetosa are described and figured. Additional southern African material is reported. A key to the genera and species of the new genera of the subfamily Cunaxoidinae is provided. Koch (1838) was the first to describe a cunaxid with 3-jointed palps, indicating the difference from Cunaxa setirostris (Hermann, 1804), having five-jointed palps. He named this group Eupalus, not realizing that the name was already preoccupied by Gistl (1834). Baker & Hoffmann (1948), realizing this, replaced the name Eupalus with Cunaxoides for all cunaxids with 3-jointed palps. Smiley (1975) was the first to separate a genus, Neocunaxoides Smiley, 1975, from this group. Den Heyer (1979a) separatedfurther genera, viz. Pulaeus and Scutopalus. Smiley (1992) created two subfamilies of mites with 3-jointed palps, viz. Denheyernaxoidinae (a subfamily created to accommodate D. martini Smiley, 1992) and Paracunaxoidinae. The authors are of opinion thatthe scant and minor characteristics provided are only generic characteristics. We, therefore, disregard their subfamily status and only retain them as genera in the tribe Cunaxoidini. This action is indirectly supported by data obtained from Lin (2001) who combined Eupalus brevirostris Canestrini, 1885 on grounds of its morphology and chaetotaxy to Denheyernaxoides and provided more reliable data than did either Canestrini (1885, 1886) or Smiley (1992)1.