Phthiracarus

van der Hammen, L., 1959, Berlese's Primitive Oribatid Mites, Zoologische Verhandelingen 40, pp. 1-93 : 47-48

Phthiracarus Perty, 1839

Phthiracarus Perty, 1839, column 847; 1841, p. 874.

The genus Phthiracarus was created by Perty in 1839, although no type-species was mentioned; I remark that this publication has generally been overlooked. In 1841 Perty redescribed the genus and mentioned one species.

According to Jacot (1930, pp. 209, 211) the third volume of Perty's "Allgemeine Naturgeschichte " appeared in 1843; this is, however, 1841 (cf. Engelmann, 1846, p. 116; Sherborn, 1929, p. 4928; Neave, 1940, p. 735).

Phthiracarus is monotypical. P. contractilis , the type, is figured by Claparède (1868, pl. 36 figs. 15-19) after unpublished drawings by Perty. According to Jacot (1930, p. 211) P. contractilis is a synonym of Hoplophora laevigata C. L. Koch , 1841, fasc. 38 (16); the last-mentioned species was redescribed by Jacot (1936, p. 167, figs. 1-6).

It will be useful to establish the exact date of publication of Perty's work, and to investigate the supposed synonymy. A detailed redescription of the type-species will be highly important.

Berlese classified Phthiracarus species with the genera Hoplophora (1883a), Hoploderma (1913, 1913a), and Phthiracarus (1920a, 1923) respectively. In 1923 Berlese used the generic name Phthiracarus in the sense of our Phthiracaridae ; he distinguished a number of subgenera, among which Phthiracarus s.str. corresponds with the present conception of the genus. I remark that from 1904 up to and including 1913 Berlese used Phtiracarus for species that are nowadays classified with Oribotritiidae and Euphthiracaridae .