Description of two new genera, three new species, and redescription of two species of Pronematinae (Acari: Iolinidae)

Abstract

Duoparus n. gen. with its type species Duoparus hyeresensis n. gen. n. sp. from Rubus in France are described. Duoparus is the first genus within the Pronematinae with two ag setae. In the genus Pseudopronematulus, two new species, P. duffelensis n. sp. from sweet pepper leaf litter in Belgium and Pseudopronematulus tocantinsensis n. sp. from leaf/soil litter from a no-tillage field in Brazil are described. Pseudopronematulus tenuisetosus, recently transferred from the genus Pronematus, from cotton in Mozambique is redescribed. Pseudopronematulus duffelensis n. sp. and P. tocantinsensis n. sp. are the fourth and fifth species in this genus and the first to be described in detail, including nymphal stages for P. duffelensis n. sp. Dasilcoferla n. gen. is described with Pseudopronematulus nadirae n. comb. as type species, which is transferred from Pseudopronematulus to Dasilcoferla and redescribed. A taxonomic key is provided for the separation of the species presently placed in Pseudopronematulus Fan and Li, 1992. Molecular analysis and morphological differences, mostly the chaetotaxy, of P. duffelensis n. sp. are compared with those of Pronematus ubiquitus (McGregor, 1932) and Homeopronematus anconai (Baker, 1943). The molecular results underpin the morphological difference between the species that belong to different genera. Relative distance of the genera are discussed.