Ten new species of Daidalotarsonemus (Prostigmata: Tarsonemidae) from Costa Rica

Abstract

Ten new tarsonemid species of the genus Daidalotarsonemus found on native plants in Costa Rica are described herein: Daidalotarsonemus alas sp. n. Ochoa, Rezende & Lofego; Daidalotarsonemus azofeifai sp. n. Ochoa, Rezende & Lofego; Daidalotarsonemus bauchani sp. n. Rezende, Ochoa & Lofego; Daidalotarsonemus cuadradus sp. n. Ochoa, Rezende & Lofego; Daidalotarsonemus ginae sp. n. Ochoa, Rezende & Lofego; Daidalotarsonemus lini sp. n. Ochoa, Rezende & Lofego; Daidalotarsonemus marini sp. n. Ochoa, Rezende & Lofego; Daidalotarsonemus maryae sp. n. Ochoa, Rezende & Lofego; Daidalotarsonemus puntarenensis sp. n. Rezende, Ochoa & Lofego; and Daidalotarsonemus serratus sp. n. Rezende, Ochoa & Lofego. Measurements, a diagnosis for all the new species and a key to the species known to occur in Costa Rica is provided. The findings related in this article emphasize the importance of conducting mite surveys in rainforests around the world, to better understand the mite diversity which inhabits these biomes.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8DF0990A-E78B-43A4-935E-389AE2DFC497

Keywords:

• Acari
• Heterostigmata
• La Selva Biological Station
• rainforest
• taxonomy

Acknowledgements

We thank the USDA, ARS and the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, for the help with equipment and collection material. We thank Danilo Brenes, Ronald Vargas, Maylin Paniagua, Flor Cascante and Nelci Oconotrillo (ALAS parataxonomists) for thousands of hours of dedication to the study and collecting of the arthropod fauna of La Selva Biological Station. We thank Ronald Ochoa’s former Prof. Dr Marek Kaliszewski, for sharing his love and knowledge for tarsonemid mites. Special thanks to Dr Evert E. Lindquist (CANACOLL-AC), Dr John T. (Jack) Longino (DB-UU), Dr Robert K. Colwell (EEB-UC), Dr Valerie Behan-Pelletier (CANACOLL-AC), Dr Roy A. Norton (CESF-SUNY) and Dr Barry OConnor (MZ-UM) for their support and suggestions on the study of the Costa Rican mites. We thank Lic. Ana Cecilia Pineda and Lic. Armando Ruiz-Boyer, Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, for their suggestions and help with the deposition of types. We thank Dr Cal Welbourn (DPI-FDACS) and Dr Gregory Evans (APHIS-USDA) for the review and the comments on the manuscript and Daidalotarsonemus mite habitat. We thank Chris Pooley (ECMU- USDA) for his support with all the images. We thank the Smithsonian Natural History Museum and National Agricultural Library (NAL-USDA), SEL-USDA for support and assistance with references for this study. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the USDA; USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Additional information

Funding

We thank FAPESP (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo) (Procs. 2011/19890-0 and 2013/08402-0) and ALAS Project – Costa Rica, National Science Foundation, and Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS), for providing the financial support for this study. This work was supported by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo [2011/19890-0, 2013/08402-0].