Abrolophus Berlese 1891
Creators: name: Seeman, Owen D.
name: Beard, Jennifer J.
name: Fan, Qing-Hai
name: Otto, Jürgen C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Trombidiformes
Erythraeidae
Abrolophus

description: Key to species of Abrolophus in Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand (nymphs, adults)
1. Globular palp tarsi (about as long as wide, Fig. 20D); coxal apodemes III and IV fused in an angular manner, thin or thickened (Fig. 19D); crista on distinct sclerotised, punctate scutum that captures several prodorsal setae (Figs 18B, 19D, 21D); posterior process of crista absent (Fig. 22 C-D); adult body often> 1 mm ................................................. 2
- Elongate palp tarsi (at least 1.5x as long as wide, Fig. 20 A-B); coxal apodemes III and IV fused in a loop-like manner, thin (Fig. 19 A-B); crista on indistinct smooth scutum that may capture as few as one pair of dorsal setae on its margins (Fig. 10); posterior process of crista present (Figs 10, 22 A-B) or absent (Fig. 22 C-D); adult body no more than 1 mm ..................... 6
2. Long legs I and IV, each approximately 2.8 mm; tarsus I not noticeably humped (in lateral view), about three times as long as wide............................................................... Abrolophus glauerti (Womersley, 1934) *
- Legs I and IV shorter, less than 2 mm; tarsus I noticeably humped, no more than 2.5x as long as wide.................. 3
3. Tarsus I less than twice as long as wide (1.5-1.7x)........................................................... 4
- Tarsus I more than twice as long as wide (2.1-2.6x).......................................................... 5
4. Nymph only. Dorsal setae short, thickened, length 30–50 (Fig. 18A, 23D); naso with 2 setae................................................................................................... A. insularum (Womersley, 1934) **
- Adult only. Dorsal setae long, thin, length 70–80 (Fig. 18B); naso with 8 setae............ A. littorale (Womersley, 1934) **
5. Tibia IV greatly elongate, length 490; tarsus I moderately elongate, 225 x 105; dorsal setal length ca. 70–80; naso with 4 setae.................................................................... A. newmani (Womersley, 1934) ***
- Tibia IV moderately elongate, length 350; tarsus I greatly elongate, 290 x 110; dorsal setae long and thin, length ca. 100 (Fig. 17D); naso with 8 setae.......................................................... A. brevus (Womersley, 1934)
6. Posterior process of crista present (Fig. 22 A-B); scutum capturing zero or one pairs of setae (AL setae usually on margin of soft cuticle); ASens subequal or longer than Psens (Figs 7, 10). Nymph specific features (unknown for A. zelandicus): Asens 35–39; Psens 33–41, genu III with 6-8 tactile setae, tibia III with 8-9 tactile setae (Fig. 9); nymphal tibia IV (66-74) a little less than 1.5x length of tarsus IV (48-53).......................................................................... 7
- Nymph only. Posterior process of crista absent (Fig. 22C); scutum capturing two pairs of setae (Figs 21C, 22C); Asens shorter than Psens. Nymph-specific features: Asens 41, Psens 61; genu III with 14 tactile setae, tibia III with 18 tactile setae; tibia IV (104) about twice length of tarsus IV (49)....................................... A. novaeguinensis (Gunther, 1941)
7. Male only. Asens 71, distance between sensilli (ISD) 132 (Fig. 24B); length of palp femur 121 (Fig. 24D).............................................................................................. A. zelandicus Luxton, 1989
- Male: Asens 46, distance between sensilli (ISD) 78 (Fig. 10B); length of palp femur 77...... A. ripicola (Womersley, 1934)
* Note: specimens of A. glauerti not seen; Womersley (1934) reports this species as being 1.16 mm long and 1.75 mm wide. If true, this is a highly unusual body shape and could be an error of reversal, yet Womersley (1934) reports the legs (1.6–2.82 mm) as being longer than the body.
** Note: A. insularum and A. littorale are possibly the nymph and adult of the same species.
*** Note: the holotype of A. newmani is in poor condition and little detail is visible beyond general lengths, widths of leg segments and the form of the dorsal body setae.
description: Published as part of Seeman, Owen D., Beard, Jennifer J., Fan, Qing-Hai & Otto, Jürgen C., 2024, Abrolophus from Australasia, and the mysterious Mypongia (Trombidiformes: Parasitengona: Erythraeidae), pp. 151-189 in Zootaxa 5519 (2) on page 185, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5519.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/13915687