The Agauopsis brevipalpus group (Acari: Halacaridae), descriptions of tropical Indo-West Pacific species, a key to all species, their geographical distribution and reflections on dispersal routes

I. Bartsch (1)

1 SGN - Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg

Amongst the genus Agauopsis, the brevipalpus group is the one most rich in species. The group can roughly be subdivided on the basis of the number of spines on telofemur I. The tropical and warm-temperate Indo-West Pacific region is dominated by species with four spines. A new species from this region, Agauopsis dissimilis n. sp., is described, the characters of another seven species are outlined and a summary of the knowledge of the Agauopsis fauna of Singapore added. The brevipalpus group now includes 25 described species. A key and the geographical distribution are given. Species with three spines are spread in the temperate zones of the Pacific, in areas which formerly were part of the shoreline of Panthalassa. Species with four spines are most abundant in the tropical and warm-temperate Indo-West Pacific region and the North Atlantic; present-day records of this species group are primarily from areas once bordering the Tethys.

Mots clés: Halacaroidea; Agauopsis brevipalpus group; key; distribution; new species; Tethys; Panthalassa; Singapore

Domaines: Systématique, phylogénie et taxonomie; Zoologie des invertébrés

I. Bartsch. The Agauopsis brevipalpus group (Acari: Halacaridae), descriptions of tropical Indo-West Pacific species, a key to all species, their geographical distribution and reflections on dispersal routes. Acarologia, 2015, 55 (2), pp.147-169. ⟨10.1051/acarologia/20152158⟩. ⟨hal-01548360⟩