Halacarid mites (Acari: Halacaridae) from Esperance, Western Australia: Notes on taxonomy and faunal distribution of non-Copidognathinae

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 7 years ago

ABSTRACT – A recent survey on the halacarid fauna of Esperance (Western Australia) resulted in records of more than 40 species. The genera, and in parentheses the number of species, are: Actacarus (I), Agaue (4), Agauopsis (3), Arhodeoporus (2), Atelopsalis (I), Bradyagaue (I), Copidognathus (ca 13), Halacarellus (2), Halacaropsis (I), Halacarus (4), Lohmannella (2), Rhombognathus (5), Scaptognathus (I), Simognathus (3) and Werthella (1). In the present study the copidognathine genera Copidognathus and Werthella are excluded. Data on relevant taxonomic characters and distribution are given for 30 non-copidognathine species. Five species new to science are described; the species belong to the genera Agaue, Agauopsis, Arhodeoporus, Halacarus, and Scaptognathus. The diversity of non-copidognathine species collected from Esperance and its vicinity is distinctly lower than that collected on Rottnest Island (52 named non-copidognathines). Almost two-third (19 species) of the species from Esperance have also been taken in other areas of Australia, and about half of the species are known from Rottnest Island.