Reginesus n. gen. Reis & Navia

Eriophyidae, Nothopodinae, Colopodacini (Fig. 1)

Diagnosis. Reginesus n. gen. belongs to the Nothopodinae with coxal seta I (1b) present; coxae of legs I fused; tibia of leg I not fused with tarsus; prodorsal shield with tubercles and scapular setae (sc) present and placed ahead of rear shield margin; empodia entire; genual seta (l") present only on leg I and femoral seta (bv) absent on legs I and II; dorsal opisthosoma with three longitudinal ridges, a middorsal ridge extending over the anterior half of opisthosoma and two lateral ridges fading at the level dorsad of ventral seta f; ventral seta I (d) and II (e) are absent. This new genus is near Paracolopodacus Kuang & Huang 1994 in the presence of coxal seta I (1b); coxae of legs I fused; scapular setae and tubercles present on the prodorsal shield and placed ahead of the rear shield margin; empodia entire; genual seta (l") present only on leg I; and ventral seta II (e) absent. However, it differs from this genus mainly in the tibia not being fused with the tarsus (fused in Paracolopodacus); in the absence of femoral seta (bv) on legs I and II (present in both legs in Paracolopodacus) and in the presence of dorsal opisthosomal ridges (apparently absent in Paracolopodacus).

Type species. Reginesus macuxi n. sp.

Etymology. The generic name, Reginesus, is derived from the Latin words Regina, which means “queen” and the Latin word esus, which means “eat”. This refers to the habit of feeding on palms, popularly considered as the queens of the forest. Gender: masculine.