Abrolophus

Adult Abrolophus, photographed by Tom Murray.

Belongs within: Callidosomatinae.

Abrolophus is a genus of mites found worldwide; adults are distinguished from other callidosomatines by the lack of enlarged segments or modifications of the legs and palps. Abrolophus has often been confused with the balaustiine genus Balaustium, which differs in the presence of specialised urnulae (sensory pits) on the idiosoma. It has been suggested that the larval genus Hauptmannia represents the larva of Abrolophus but the association is uncertain (Southcott 1961).

Characters (from Southcott 1961): Adult and nymph with one eye on each side, behind the middle of the crista. Crista normal. No specialized sensory pits (urnulae) present on dorsum of idiosoma. No tubercles on tibiae of legs. Legs and palpi normal, without any unusually enlarged segments. Palpal tarsus normal, rather small, not or only slightly overreaching palpal tibia1 claw.

<==Abrolophus Berlese 1891 G91 [incl. Discolophus Kishida 1939 S61, Legneria Oudemans 1941 S61; Discolopheae]
    |--*A. quisquiliarum [=Rhyncholophus quisquiliarum, Erythraeus quisquiliarum] S61
    |--‘Erythraeus’ arvensis Banks 1912 [=*Legneria arvensis] S61
    |--A. araneipes WWO01
    |--A. brevicollis W01
    |--‘Achorolophus’ epigaeus S61
    |--‘Achorolophus’ falconerii Hull 1918 [=Leptus falconeri] S61
    |--A. frisius Southcott 1961 [=Balaustium insulare Willmann 1952 non Womersley 1934] S61
    |--A. halberti (Cooreman 1946) [=Balaustium halberti] S61
    |--A. insularis (Womersley 1934) [=Belaustium (l. c. for Balaustium) insulare] S61
    |--A. longicollis W01
    |--‘Ritteria’ mantonensis [incl. Achorolophus norvegicus] S61
    |--A. medicagoensis Meyer & Ryke 1959 G91
    |--A. miniatus (Hermann 1804) S61, SB63 [=Ryncholophus (l. c. for Rhyncholophus) miniatus S61]
    |--A. passerinii K09
    |--A. raripapillum Schweizer 1951 S61
    |--A. rhopalicus S61
    |--A. rubipes (Trouessart 1888) WWO01, S61 (see below for synonymy)
    |--A. rudaensis W01
    |--A. schweizeri (Evans 1952) (see below for synonymy) S61
    `--‘*Discolophus’ tokunagai Kishida 1939 S61

Abrolophus rubipes (Trouessart 1888) WWO01, S61 [=Rhyncholophus rubipes S61, Balaustium rubripes (l. c.) S61, R. rubripes (l. c.) S61]

Abrolophus schweizeri (Evans 1952) [=Balaustium schweizeri, B. sabulosum Schweizer 1951 non Rhyncholophus sabulosus Halbert 1915] S61

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[G91] Gabryś, G. 1991. Intergeneric relationships within Erythraeidae (Acari, Actinedida). In: Dusbábek, F., & V. Bukva (eds) Modern Acarology: Proceedings of the VIII International Congress of Acarology, held in České Budĕjovice, Czechoslovakia, 6–11 August 1990 vol. 2 pp. 207–212. SPB Academic Publishing: The Hague.

[K09] Krantz, G. W. 2009. Form and function. In: Krantz, G. W., & D. E. Walter (eds) A Manual of Acarology 3^rd ed. pp. 5–53. Texas Tech University Press.

[SB63] Schweizer, J., & C. Bader. 1963. Die Landmilben der Schweiz (Mittelland, Jura und Alpen): Trombidiformes Reuter, mit 217 Arten und Unterarten und 193 Originalzeichnungen. Denkschriften der Schweizerischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft [Mémoires de la Société Helvétique des Sciences Naturelles] 84 (2): i–vi, 209–378.

[S61] Southcott, R. V. 1961. Studies on the systematics and biology of the Erythraeoidea (Acarina), with a critical revision of the genera and subfamilies. Australian Journal of Zoology 9: 367–610.

[W01] Wohltmann, A. 2001. Closely related species of Parasitengonae (Acari: Prostigmata) inhabiting the same areas: features facilitating coexistence. In: Halliday, R. B., D. E. Walter, H. C. Proctor, R. A. Norton & M. J. Colloff (eds) Acarology: Proceedings of the 10^th International Congress pp. 121–135. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.

[WWO01] Wohltmann, A., H. Witte & R. Olomski. 2001. Organismal patterns causing high potential for adaptive radiation in Parasitengonae (Acari: Prostigmata). In: Halliday, R. B., D. E. Walter, H. C. Proctor, R. A. Norton & M. J. Colloff (eds) Acarology: Proceedings of the 10^th International Congress pp. 83–99. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.

Last updated: 27 March 2018.