Notes on the genusChelonuropodaSellnick, 1954 with description of three new species (Acari: Uropodina: Oplitidae)

Abstract

The genus Chelonuropoda is reviewed and a key to the known species is given. Three new species (Chelonuropoda banari sp. nov., Chelonuropoda canalitica sp. nov. and Chelonuropoda brasiliana sp. nov.) are described and illustrated. Three Oplitis species (Oplitis athiasae Hirschmann and Zirngiebl-Nicol, 1973; Oplitis similibispirata Hirschmann andZirngiebl-Nicol, 1973 and Oplitis nicolae Hirschmann, 1991) are transferred to the genus Chelonuropoda as new combinations.

Sumatrella chelonica gen. n., sp. n., a new remarkable genus and species from Indonesia, Sumatra (Acari, Uropodina, Oplitidae)

“…Recently several genera and species groups have been recognized in this family (Kontschán 2010, Kontschán and Starý 2012, Wiśniewski and Hirschmann 1993), but the new genus differs from the others on the basis of the very convex idiosoma, the octagonal genital shield and the wide marginal shield. Only the genus Chelonuropoda Sellnick, 1954 shares this combination of character states with the new genus (i.e.…”

“…Species of the probably closely related genus Chelonuropoda Sellnick, 1954 occur in South America and the Afrotropical region; a distribution pattern which has been named ‘Amphiatlantic’ (Kontschán and Starý 2012). Based on zoogeography, the genus Chelonuropoda must have originated during a geological period when Africa and South America were still connected to each other; i.e.…”

“…Recently it was elevated to family level [Lindquist et al (2009), Beaulieu et al (2011)] and is divided into further genera (e.g. Kontschán 2010, Kontschán and Starý 2012). …”