Pseudoalliphis Mašán & Halliday, 2009

Mašán, Peter & Halliday, Bruce, 2010, Review of the European genera of Eviphididae (Acari: Mesostigmata) and the species occurring in Slovakia 2585, Zootaxa 2585, pp. 1-122 : 72

Genus Pseudoalliphis Mašán & Halliday

Pseudoalliphis Mašán & Halliday, 2009a: 44 . Type species Alliphis sculpturatus Karg, 1963 , by original designation.

Diagnosis (female). Dorsal idiosoma ( Fig. 133). Idiosoma dorso-ventrally flattened. Dorsal shield entire, suboval, completely covering dorsal surface, with posterior end usually overlapping slightly onto ventral idiosoma; anterior extension of the shield overlapping onto ventral surface beyond vertex, fused to anterior parts of peritrematal shields to form an arched ventral structure bearing short setae j1 and z1. Dorsal area with coarse punctate-reticulate sculptural pattern, bearing 28 pairs of subequal setae (j1 and z1 present but ventrally placed). Vertical setae j1 thickened and acuminate, z1 thin and needle-like, both pairs positioned on ventral extension of dorsal shield, conspicuously shorter than setae on dorsum.

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 134). Presternal platelets absent. Sternal shield well sclerotised, with three pairs of setae and two pairs of pores; first pair of sternal pores small, slit-like, oriented at approximately 45° to longitudinal axis. Sternal shield and endopodal platelets II–III almost completely separate. Endopodal platelets III– IV anteriorly connected with endopodals II–III. Metasternal platelets absent, metasternal setae st4 inserted on soft integument, adjacent metasternal pores inserted on microplatelets between sternal and epigynal shields. Epigynal shield narrow, slightly constricted medially, with a pair of posteriorly placed genital setae; genital pores situated on soft integument beside genital setae. Anal shield subtriangular. Exopodal and post-genital platelets absent. Peritrematal shields well developed, widened. Metapodal platelets elongate, curved.

Gnathosoma . Palptarsus without paired macroeupathidia. Movable digit of chelicerae bidentate ( Fig. 85). Epistome with elongated central projection and short, simple lateral prongs ( Fig. 105).

Legs. Setation of legs I-II-III-IV: coxae 2-2-2-1, trochanters 6-5-5-5, femora 13-11-6-6, genua 11-11-8-7, tibiae 11-10-7-7 ( Table 3).

Notes on the genus. The genus Pseudoalliphis is presently monotypic; the only known species is recorded from Germany ( Karg 1963), Poland ( Błaszak & Madej 1997) and Hungary ( Kandil 1983).