Haplacarus foliatus Wallwork, 1962

Schatz, H. & Schuster, R., 2012, First Records Of Lohmanniidae (Acari: Oribatida) From The Bermuda Islands, Acarologia 52 (3), pp. 247-257 : 249

Haplacarus foliatus Wallwork, 1962

Wallwork 1962: 466, figs. 6-11; Balogh and Balogh 1987: 343, pl. 29A; 2002a: 71; 2002b: pl. 126:1.

Dimensions: deutonymph (n=3) 518 (480 – 540) x 280 µm, tritonymph (n=2) 660 x 290 – 330 µm. Sensillus with 7-8 branches in both instars. Measurements of setae: deutonymph: c1 65 – 70, d1 60 – 70, e1 70, f1 59 – 60, distance c1-d1 70 – 80, d1-e1 70; tritonymph: c1 80 – 85, d1 80, e1 80 – 85, f1 60 – 70, distance c1-d1 90, e1-f1 85 – 90 µm. Transverse band s7 incomplete in all studied specimens.

Remarks: The specimens from Bermuda correspond to the original description ( Wallwork 1962) and are considered conspecific. The description by Wallwork (1962) is based on one adult and one tritonymph. Haplacarus foliatus is very similar to H. javensis Hammer, 1979 . Main differences between the two species are: The notogastral setae are thicker in adults of H. foliatus , but more slender in H. javensis (this character could not be observed in the studied juvenile instars); notogastral setae e1 are longer than f 1 in H. foliatus ; transverse band s7 is incomplete in H. foliatus , but complete in H. javensis . A comparison with adults and tritonymphs of H. javensis from Belize and Cocos Island, Costa Rica ( Schatz 1994b), was possible. Haplacarus foliatus is also morphologically similar to H. bengalensis Bhattacharya, Bhaduri et Raychaudhuri, 1974 , but the latter species has shorter notogastral setae.

Records from Bermuda: BE 230: 2 deutonymphs. BE 301: 1 deutonymph, 2 tritonymphs.

General distribution: West Africa: Ghana, Pagalu Island ( Annobón); India, Philippines, Thailand; first record for Bermuda.