Afrotrachytes Kontschan 2006

Afrotrachytes Kontschán, 2006

Afrotrachytes Kontschán, 2006a: 2; Kontschán, 2006b: 53; Kontschán, 2009: 41.

Diagnosis. Color yellowish-brown. Idiosoma oval with long vertex. Legs as long as idiosoma. First legs without ambulacral claws. All legs bearing wide dorsal and ventral processes and wide phylliform setae. Inner margins of femur, genu, tibia and tarsus of leg I with long and rod-like setae. Dorsal and marginal shields fused anteriorly, pygidial shield present. Several long and phylliform caudal setae (three pairs or more) situated on ventral and dorsal idiosoma. One pair of horn-like anterior humps located on dorsal idiosoma at the level of coxae II. Genital shield of female oval, reticulate without anterior process.

Type species. Afrotrachytes seticaudatus Kontschán, 2006 by original designation.

Biology. We have very few information about the biology of the Afrotrachytes mites. Only N’Dri et al. (2018) presented that an unidentified species of the genus had been found in higher abundance in the native habitats (primary forests and savanna) in Cameroon in the rainy season. But the abundance had been elevated in the disturbed habitat (in a teak plantation) during the dry season contrary the natural habitats, where the number of specimens had been reduced (N’Dri et al., 2018).

Key to the females of known Afrotrachytes

1. Dorsal shield with irregular and rectangular pits, anal area with two postanal setae.......................................................... 2

- Dorsal shield without irregular and rectangular pits, anal area with one postanal seta............................................................ 3

2. Postanal seta leaf-like, setae on pygidialshield more than two times longer than the length of pygidial shield.............................................................................................. A. seticaudatus

- Postanal seta spatulate, setae on pygidial shield almost as long as the length of pygidial shield................... A. bercziki

3. Surface of female genital shield smooth........... A. mirabilis

- Surface of female genital shield with reticulate sculptural pattern................................................................................................. 4

4. Sternal setae st3, st4 and st5 smooth and needle-like, setae on marginal shield serrate.................... A. longicaudatus

- Sternal setae st3, st4 and st5 rod-like and apically forked, setae on marginal shield smooth and leaf-like......................................................................................................... A. peruensis sp. nov.