A new species of the genus Paralycus from Fujian, China

Abstract

A new oribatid mite species of the family Pediculochelidae, Paralycus nortoni sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on adult specimens collected from barks of dead Pinus massoniana Lamb. infested by Monochamus alternatus in Fuzhou city, China. This new species described here is the fourth species of the genus Paralycus in China. An updated key to the species of the genus Paralycus is provided.

A Review of the Asexual Mite Genus Paralycus Womersley, 1944 (Acari: Oribatida: Pediculochelidae), with Description of Three New Species and A Key to Species of the World

“…There are single records of Paralycus from other habitats, such as from chickens and rats [4,11], a ladybird beetle [12], in bark of pine trees [13], stored products [14], and fungal mycelia growing on historical books [15]. Because there was no independent confirmation of these records in the literature, we consider these habitats as marginal, where mites cannot sustainably maintain their population sizes for many generations or they represent mites which migrated from their adjacent main habitat, for example, soil.…”

“…All known species lack males, possibly indicating a long-term maintenance of asexual reproduction [3]. Pediculochelids are found in the soil [2][3][4][5][6][7][8], on bees [4,9,10], and rarely in other habitats [4,[11][12][13][14][15].…”

“…Although taxonomic treatments of pediculochelids are available, the species diversity, species boundaries, and ontogeny are still poorly understood. For example, a recent key to species [13] contains inaccuracies and omits an important but insufficiently described species, Paralycus pyrigerus. In addition, the taxonomic scope of Paralycus raulti is uncertain as it included specimens with remarkably variable morphologies [4].…”