Australacarus Bartsch, 1987

Bartsch, Ilse, 2015, The genital area of Halacaridae (Acari), life stages and development of morphological characters and implication on the classification, Zootaxa 3919 (2), pp. 201-259 : 212-213

Australacarus Bartsch, 1987

(Figs 25 and 26)

Type species. Australacarus inexpectatus Bartsch, 1987 .

Adults. Female and male with GP and AP fused ( Bartsch 1987a: figs 9, 10). Female GA with two to three pairs of slender pgs; genital sclerites without sgs. Three pairs of internal acetabula equal-distanced, arranged in line and extending beyond middle of GO (Fig. 25). Ovipositor short, number and shape of genital spines not known. Male GA with genital groove posterior to GO. In contrast to females, GO of males removed from basis of anal sclerites. With 7–25 pairs of slender pgs arranged lateral to GO and genital groove ( Bartsch 1987a: fig. 10, 1993a: fig. 8; Otto 2000c: fig. 6F). Male genital sclerites with four pairs of sgs. Three pairs of gac small, internal, situated adjacent in posterior half of GO (Fig. 26). Epimeral pores in general inconspicuous, but illustrated in one species ( A. zagorskisae Otto, 2000 ) ( Otto 2000c: fig. 6E).

Juveniles. One larval and one nymphal stage described. Nymphal stage, the deutonymph, with genital plate separated from anal plate. GP with two pairs of internal gac, single pair of pgs; sgs lacking ( Bartsch 1993a: fig. 7; Otto 2000c: fig. 2H). Larval stage without genital plate. No notes given on epimeral pores.

Remarks. The records of the five species at present known are from the southern hemisphere ( Bartsch 2009a). The rostrum is long and slender, apically pointed (perhaps except for A. zagorskisae Otto, 2000 ), the palps flattened, palps and rostrum are forming a trough. The Australacarus species are expected to feed on body fluids of macrofauna.