TRIOPHTYDEINAE, H.M.André, 1980

Ueckermann, Edward A. & Grout, Timothy G., 2007, Tydeoid mites (Acari: Tydeidae, Edbakerellidae, Iolinidae) occurring on Citrus in southern Africa, Journal of Natural History 41 (37 - 40), pp. 2351-2378 : 2354

Subfamily TRIOPHTYDEINAE Andre´, 1980

Genus Triophtydeus Thor, 1932

Triophtydeus Thor 1932, p 88 ; André 1985, p 192. Metatriophtydeus André 1980, p 119 .

Type species. Tydeus triophthalmus Oudemans, 1929 .

Diagnosis

Adults. André (1985) examined the type species T. triophthalmus (Oudemans) and redefined the genus and synonymized his genus Metatriophtydeus (Andre´, 1980) with Triophtydeus . Originally the genus was only characterized by the presence of three eyes, which are absent in most cleared specimens. This genus can be defined as follows: prodorsum with three pairs of eyes (not always visible) and four pairs of setae, including a pair of trichobothria; opisthosoma with eight pairs of setae and four pairs of slit-like pores or cupules, namely ia halfway between setae c 1 and d, im halfway between d and e, and ip lateral to setae f 1, a fourth pore (ih) is lateral to setae ps 1, posteroventrally; genital area with four to six pairs of genital setae (g), four to five pairs of aggenital setae (ag), two pairs of eugenital setae (eu) in female and six in male and two pairs of anal setae (ps); epimeral formula in adults (coxal plus ventral setae): 3-1-3-3; leg chaetotaxy (with solenidia in parentheses): tarsi 10(ω)-6(ω)-5-5, tibiae 5-2-1-2, genua 3-2-2-2, femora 5-4-1-1+2, trochantera 1-1-1-0, femur IV is divided.

Twenty-nine species were originally placed in Triophtydeus . However, besides the type species, only four others fit this new definition, namely T. craυeni Wood, 1965, T. flatus Livshitz, 1973 ( Kuznetzov and Livshitz 1973), T. immanis Kuznetzov, 1973 ( Kuznetzov and Livshitz 1973), and T. lebruni Andre´, 1980. André (1985) opined that T. lebruni and T. triophthalmus are conspecific but maintained the status quo until a thorough revision of the genus could be contemplated. An examination of the paratypes of T. flatus indicated that the latter and T. triophthalmus may also be conspecific. South African specimens were compared with the type of T. immanis and resemble the latter in all respects, thus until DNA studies can be conducted we are left with no other choice but to consider them conspecific, and this is also the first record of this species from South Africa.