Platytrombidium

Platytrombidium fasciatum, copyright Walter Pfliegler.

Belongs within: Microtrombidiidae.

Platytrombidium is a genus of predatory mites known from adults only. The larva is as yet unidentified unless, as is quite possible, this genus is synonymous with the related Atractothrombium (Southcott 1994).

Characters (from Southcott 1994): Body medium-sized, generally of a red colour. Setae short, thick or broad, spindle-shaped or leaf like, not plumose, frequently set on papillae, externally covered with short, fine setules. Palpi strong, lateral side of the tibia with one or more strong spines. First leg tarsi generally long-oval, longer than tibia.

<==Platytrombidium Thor 1936 S94
    |--*P. vagabundum (Berlese 1903) [=Trombidium vagabundum] S94
    |--P. fusciforme Womersley 1945 S94
    |--P. heterocomum (Berlese 1918) [=Microtrombidium heterocomum] S94
    |--P. homocomum (Berlese 1918) [=Microtrombidium homocomum] S94
    |--P. insulanum (Oudemans 1901) [=Trombidium insulanum] S94
    |--P. paranum (Hirst 1928) [=Microtrombidium paranum] S94
    |--P. platychirum (Berlese 1912) [=Microtrombidium platychirum] S94
    |    |--P. p. platychirum SB63
    |    `--‘Microtrombidium’ p. curtipilosum Schweizer 1951 SB63
    |--P. quadrispinum (Berlese 1910) [=Enemothrombium quadrispinum] S94
    |--P. simulans (Berlese 1922) S94 (see below for synonymy)
    |    |--P. s. simulans S94
    |    `--P. s. schweizeri Southcott 1994 (see below for synonymy) S94
    `--P. trispinum (Berlese 1910) [=Enemothrombium simulans trispinum] S94

Platytrombidium simulans (Berlese 1922) S94 [=Microtrombidium simulans S94; incl. M. simulans var. parvulus Schweizer 1922 S22]

Platytrombidium simulans schweizeri Southcott 1994 [=Microtrombidium simulans var. minor Schweizer 1922 non M. pusillum var. minor Schweizer 1922] S94

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[S22] Schweizer, J. 1922. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der terrestrischen Milbenfauna der Schweiz. Verhandl. Naturf. Ges. Basel 33: 23–112, 4 pls.

[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.

[S94] Southcott, R. V. 1994. Revision of the larvae of the Microtrombidiinae (Acarina, Microtrombidiidae), with notes on life histories. Zoologica 48 (2): 1–155.