| abstract | This paper reports two new species of trombiculid mites of the genus Herpetacarus Vercammen-Grandjean, 1960 from Fujian Province. The type specimens are deposited in the Fujian Research Institute of Epidemie Diseases.
1. Herpetacarus (Herpetacarus) pagumae, sp. nov.
Body milky-white in colour and broad-oval in shape. Length 320-1056µ, breadth 208-792µ, Scutum trapezoid-shaped, longer than broad, with slightly convex posterior margin. Sensilla clavate, with 6-7 rows of setules near its base. Galeal seta nude. Palpal setae of femur, genu and tibia arranged as B-B-BNB, setae on palpal tarsus 7B.S. Dorsal setae 34-40 in number, arranged as 2-6-8-8-6-4-2 or 2-6-8-6-6-4-2. Ventral setae 41-53 in number.
Holotype larva collected from Paguma larvata in October, 1978 from Jian’ou, 3 paratypes from the same host, and 15 paratypes from Herpestes urva at the same time.
The new species is characterized by its scutum being longer than broad, not broader than long as in other species of the genus.
2. Herpetacarus (Herpetacarus) spinosetosus, sp. nov.
Body milky-white in colour and broad-oval in shape. Length 290-823µ, breadth 224-598µ. Scutum nearly pentagonal, with convex posterior margin. Sensilla narrow fusiform, with 6-7 rows of setules near its base. Galeal seta nude. Palpal setae of femur, gunu and tibia arranged as B-B-BNB, setae on palpal tarsus 7B.S. Dorsal setae 59-74 in number, arranged as 2-10-13-11-10-7-4-2 or 2-15-14-12-11-6-6-4. Ventral setae 69-87 in number.
Holotype larva collected from Rattus fulvescens in September, 1975 from Pucheng, and 5 paratypes from Rattus niviventer and R. nitidus at the same time.
This new species is very similar to H. (H.) fukienensis Chen et al., 1958, H.(H.) longisetosa Hiregauder, 1958 and H. (H.) hastoclavus Yu, 1979, but is distinguished from them by the following features: (1) The sensillae of H. fukienensis are shorter, with the expanded portion broader and lanceolate; (2) the standard measurements of the scutum of H. longisetosa are much smaller than those of this new species; (3) the standard measurements of AP, AM, PL and Sens of H. hastoclavus are smaller than those of this new species, the expanded portion of sensillae is much broader and with 4-5 longitudinal rows of setules. |