Erythracarus

Whirligig mite Erythracarus pyrrholeucus, copyright Thomas Shahan.

Belongs within: Anystidae.

Erythracarus is a cosmopolitan genus of predatory mites distinguished from closely related genera by having widely spaced setae ve on the prodorsum, and having an elongated finger-like projection on the palptibia. In members of the E. pyrrholeucus group (E. festinus to E. katherinae in the tree below), tarsi I and II are pseudosegmented and twisted with phylliform setae (Otto 1999).

Characters of adult (from Otto 1999): Prodorsum with an area of more finely striated cuticle; setae ve further apart than setae sce; naso conspicuous; c series with two setae, series d, e, f with one seta, all setae inserted in striated cuticle; one pair of distinct corneas; pair of swellings present posterior to pair of corneas ; more than ten setae on each genital valve; group of 16–54 setae either side anterolateral to genital valves; row of four to seven setae posterolateral to genital valves. Palp femur and genu fused, segment with two dorsal setae; palp tibia with setae o₁ and o₂ on conspicuously elongated finger-like projection and four to five setae on remainder of segment; seta o₁ distinctly spiniform, with coarse teeth dorsally, two rows of minute teeth ventrally; seta o₂ feather-like; palp tarsus with minute solenidion ω in proximal half, internal ducts absent. Length of legs increasing from I–IV; tarsi longer than tibiae, with two lateral claws and shorter empodial claw; basi- and telofemora ventrally fused, dorsally separated; tarsi I and II with two solenidia ω and one eupathidium ε; lateral tarsal claws with transverse ventral ridges; tibia IV with more than 25 setae.

<==Erythracarus Berlese 1903 O99 (see below for synonymy)
    |  i. s.: E. epigeus (Koch 1837) [=Erythraeus epigeus] O99
    |         E. hirsutus (Menge 1854) [=Erythraeus hirsutus] O99
    |         E. lagopus (Menge 1854) [=Erythraeus lagopus] O99
    |         E. proavus (Menge 1854) [=Erythraeus proavus] O99
    |         E. raripilus (Menge 1854) [=Erythraeus raripilus] O99
    |         E. sabulosus (Berlese 1885) [=Erythraeus sabulosus] O99
    |         E. sachalinensis (Zacharda 1985) [=*Palaeoerythracarus sachalinensis] O00
    |         E. tricolor (Lucas 1847) O99, E12 [=Erythraeus tricolor O99]
    |--+--E. barbarus Otto 1999 O99
    |  `--E. ciliatus Otto 1999 O99
    `--+--E. avius Otto 1999 O99
       |--E. grahami (Meyer & Ryke 1960) [=Bechsteinia grahami] O99
       `--+--E. amnicolus Otto 1999 O99
          |--E. flavipes Otto 1999 O99
          `--+--E. parietinus (Hermann 1804) O99 (see below for synonymy)
             `--+--E. festinus (Meyer & Ueckermann 1987) [=Bechsteinia festina] O99
                `--+--E. pyrrholeucus (Hermann 1804) O99 (see below for synonymy)
                   `--+--E. nasutus Otto 1999 O99
                      `--+--E. decoris Otto 1999 O99
                         `--+--E. elegans Otto 1999 O99
                            `--E. katherinae Otto 1999 O99

Nomen nudum: Erythracarus simku Kishida 1959 O99

Erythracarus Berlese 1903 O99 [incl. Bechsteinia Oudemans 1936 O99, Chabrieria Oudemans 1936 O99, Palaeoerythracarus Zacharda 1985 O00]

Erythracarus parietinus (Hermann 1804) O99 [=Trombidium parietinum O99, Anystis parietinum H98, Tarsotomus parietinus O99; incl. Erythraeus comes Berlese 1886 O99, Erythracarus comes O99, Bechsteinia solarii Ueckermann 1987 O99, Erythraeus spinatus Banks 1894 O99, Erythracarus spinatus O99]

Erythracarus pyrrholeucus (Hermann 1804) O99 [=Trombidium pyrrholeucum O99; incl. Bechsteinia californica McGregor 1956 O99, Erythraeus ruricola Dugès 1834 O99, *Erythracarus ruricola O99, Trombidium ruricolum CF77, *Bechsteinia schneideri Oudemans 1936 O99, Tarsotomus terminalis Banks 1916 O99, *Chabrieria terminalis O99]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[CF77] Canestrini, G., & F. Fanzago. 1877. Intorno agli Acari Italiani. Atti del Reale Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, Serie 5, 4: 69–208, pls 2–7.

[E12] Evenhuis, N. L. 2012. Publication and dating of the Exploration Scientifique de l'Algérie: Histoire Naturelle des Animaux Articulés (1846–1849) by Pierre Hippolyte Lucas. Zootaxa 3448: 1–61.

[H98] Halliday, R. B. 1998. Mites of Australia: A checklist and bibliography. CSIRO Publishing: Collingwood.

[O99] Otto, J. C. 1999. Revision of the genus Erythracarus Berlese (Acarina: Anystidae: Erythracarinae). Journal of Natural History 33: 825–909.

[O00] Otto, J. C. 2000. A cladistic analysis of Erythracarinae (Acarina: Prostigmata: Anystidae), with the description of a new genus. Systematic Entomology 25: 447–484.

Last updated: 19 July 2022.