Juxtacolopodacus n. gen.

Body elongate, robust anteriorly with a broad dorsopropodosomal shield; shield with a pronounced narrow frontal lobe. Prodorsal shield setiferous tubercles on far lateral shield margin; scapular seta probably pointing divergently backwards. Opisthosoma with rings about even in numbers dorsoventrally; with three dorsal ridges: middorsal ridge strong, fades into a trough; lateral ridges well defined, extend over entire opisthosomal length. Coxae I separated medially; all three coxal setae present. Femoral seta on leg I absent; all other leg setae present. Tarsus on leg I with solenidion laterad to empodium.

Type species. Juxtacolopodacus phalakros n. sp.

Etymology. Juxta, Latin, near, next to + Colopodacus, that is, a genus near Colopodacus Keifer, 1960 . Gender masculine.

Assignment and diagnosis. Eriophyidae, Nothopodinae, Colopodacini .

In Amrine et al. (2003) the new genus will key out to a position intermediate, but separate both from Colopodacus Keifer, 1960 and Apontella Boczek & Nuzzaci, 1988 . It is similar to Apontella in the lack of femoral seta on leg I and in having reduced scapular setae on the far lateral shield margin, but differs from Apontella in having a middorsal opisthosomal ridge ( Apontella has a middorsal trough), by the pronounced narrow frontal lobe (broad and rounded in Apontella) and in the lateral position of the solenidion on tarsus of leg I (solenidion dorsal in Apontella). It shares with Colopodacus the middorsal opisthosomal ridge, a narrow frontal lobe and separate coxae I, but differs in the lateral position of the solenidion on tarsus I (dorsal in Colopodacus), tibio-tarsus short and with dorsal and lateral setae in usual position (tibio-tarsus elongate and setae near the genu in Colopodacus), and in the far lateral position of the scapular setae (medially placed in Colopodacus).