Eriophyidae

Navia, Denise, Duarte, Mercia Elias & Flechtmann, Carlos H. W., 2021, Eriophyoid mites (Acari: Prostigmata) from Brazil: an annotated checklist, Zootaxa 4997 (1), pp. 1-152 : 52-53

Eriophyidae , Phyllocoptinae , Tegonotini

139 * Khanthongella secundum ( Flechtmann, Amrine & Stasny, 1995b) : 211 (n. comb. in this paper).

Previous genera assignments.

Aciota , Propeaciota .

Taxonomic remarks. This species was originally described in the genus Aciota Keifer, 1959 , for which Aciota secudum Flechtmann, Amrine & Stasny, 1995 was the second species described for this genus. Chakrabarti et al. (2017) proposed the genus Propeaciota , with P. genustosis Chakrabarti, Sur, Roy & Sakar, 2017 , as its type species, and moved the species A. secudum into the genus, i.e., Propeaciota secudum (Flechtmann, Amrine & Stasny, 1995) .

Propeaciota is based primarily on the opisthosoma having a middorsal trough, but P. secudum has instead a middorsal ridge. Therefore Propeaciota is an inappropriate generic placement. Instead, the species is best placed in the genus Khanthongella Chandrapatya, Konvipasruang & Amrine, 2015 . This genus, established for the mite K. suregadi (Boczek & Chandrapatya, 2000) , is separated from the genus Aciota by the presence of the middorsal ridge, which is absent in Aciota , and other characters such as the very robust elongate tubercles and the strongly developed lateral opisthosomal ridges in Aciota , absent in Khanthongella . Thus, the species P. secudum is transferred to the genus Khanthongella , i.e., Khanthongella secundum (Flechtmann, Amrine & Stasny, 1995) comb. nov. Propeaciota genusetosis Chakrabarti, Sur, Roy & Sakar, 2017 , based on the presence of a middorsal trough, remains a valid combination and is now a monotypic genus.

Type host. Campomanesia sp. (Myrtaceae) .

Type locality. Parque Nacional do Itatiaia , Itatiaia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil .

Relationship to host plant. Vagrants on the lower surface of leaves cohabiting with Paraphytoptus longisetosum Flechtmann, Amrine & Stasny, 1995b ( Flechtmann et al. 1995b).

Remark. Only known from the type host/locality.

Type host plants status. Native shrub subshrub or tree, not endemic, occurring in Amazônia , Caatinga , Cerrado , Mata Atlântica and Pampa biomes, widely distributed in all regions ( Flora do Brasil 2020) .