Notes on the genus Chelonuropoda Sellnick, 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 and Zirngiebl-Nicol, 1973 and Oplitis nicolae Hirschmann, 1991) are transferred to the genus Chelonuropoda as new combinations.

Keywords:

• Acari
• Uropodina
• Chelonuropoda
• new species
• Brazil, Madagascar, Ivory Coast

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr P. Baňař (Brno, Czech Republic) renowned entomologist, specialist on soil Heteroptera, for collecting soil samples from Madagascar. The study was partly supported by the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Research Plan No. AV0Z60660521.