Description of two new species of Xenotarsonemus (Acari: Tarsonemidae) from West Bengal, India with world keys

Description of two new species of Tarsonemus (Acari: Tarsonemidae) from the Southern Plateau and Hill Region of India

“…Subtriangluar, length 29 (28-31), maximum width 24 (23)(24)(25)(26). Seta dgs 10 (9-11) and vgs 11 (10)(11), subequal, both smooth; seta pp indiscernible. Palpi directed anteriorly, sub parallel each with very minute setae and minute teeth like processes anteriorly.…”

“…Bothridial seta sc1 club shaped, spinose, located ventrolaterally, nearly at same level of setae sc2, covered by prodorsal shield. Length of setae: v1 39 (37-41), sc1 16 (14-17), sc2 54 (51-56), c1 11 (10)(11)(12), c2 20 (19)(20)(21), d 9 (8-10), e 11 (10)(11), f 9 (9-10), h 9 (8-9). All dorsal setae serrated.…”

“…Palpi elongated, sub parallel to each other, each with two minute setae and inconspicuous teeth like processes anteriorly. Pharynx narrowly fusiform, elongated and 9 (8-9) in length, half gnathosomal length and 3 (3)(4) Venter: coxisternal setae 1a 8 (7-8), situated near the distal ends of apodemes 1; setae 2a 11 (10)(11) positioned medially apodemes 2; setae 3a 13 (14-17) near proximal end of apodemes 3; 3b 14 (13-16) located at posterior end of apodemes 4; setae ps 6 (5-6); all ventral setae smooth and pointed. Apodemes 1 conspicuous, converging with anterior end of prosternal apodeme, distally stretched up to base of trochanter I. Apodemes 2 conspicuous both at proximal and distal end but diffused medially; not fused to the prosternal apodeme.…”

“…Family Tarsonemidae Canestrini and Fanzago, 1877 is a diverse group of microarthropods exhibiting intricate taxonomic characters, diversi ed habitats and wide ranges of feeding habits like fungivory, algivory, herbivory, detriphagy (Walter et al 2009). It comprises of around 600 species slated under 48 different genera (Kayal and Karmakar 2023). Despite vast zoogeographic area of India with four major biodiversity hotspots, research on tarsonemid taxonomy in this country has remained relatively inadequate.…”

Description of two new species of genera Daidalotarsonemus and Floridotarsonemus (Acari: Tarsonemidae) from West Bengal, India

“…In terms of the status of Indian Tarsonemidae, 42 species have been documented to date (Kayal & Karmakar 2023a, b, 2024, out of which 30 were described recently. Twenty six out of 30 newly described species were discovered from the state of West Bengal alone (87% of the total described new species of the country), which indicate two impressions, viz.…”