Redescription of Neocarus platensis Silvestri, 1905 (Acari: Opilioacaridae) and a new species from the syntype series.

Neocarus platensis is redescribed from part of the syntype series collected in Argentina and lectotype specimens are designated. The remaining syntype material from Uruguay represents a new species, herein named Neocarus paraplatensis sp. nov. Taxonomic problems within the Opilioacaridae are discussed in light of a comparative morphological discussion including setae quantity variation.

Catalog of the Opilioacarida (Acari: Parasitiformes).

A catalog of the described Opilioacaridae species and their type depository institutions is presented. Opilioacaridae comprises 53 valid taxa (with 2 subspecies and 3 fossil species) distributed in 13 genera. The zoogeographical distribution, described life stages and years of description are also provided and discussed. Recent work on the American continent has resulted in a great diversity from these zoogeographical zones, but the family has a worldwide distribution. In addition, we move Neocarus ojastii Lehtinen, 1980 into Caribeacarus, i.e., Caribeacarus ojastii (Lehtinen, 1980) n. comb.

Catalog of the mite (Acari) type specimens deposited at the "Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Campus de São José do Rio Preto", São Paulo, Brazil (DZSJRP).

A catalog of the type specimens of mites deposited at the Mite Collection of the Zoology and Botany Department of São Paulo State University (São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo state, Brazil) is presented. The collection of type specimens includes 120 species of 64 genera and 16 families, most of which from Brazil, but also from Angola, Australia, Costa Rica, Phillipines, South Africa, Sultanate of Oman and Thailand. For each species the original publication, provenance data, specimens conditions are provided.

A new species of Opilioacarus With, 1902 (Acari: Opilioacaridae) from Italy, and a new diagnosis of the genus.

No living Opilioacarus species have been described from Europe for more than a century since the first finding and species description in the early twentieth century. Using the material deposited in Museo Civico di Storia Naturale of Verona, Italy, it was possible to identify and describe a new Opilioacarus species and review the genus diagnosis, using the shape of setae d and setation of the preanal segment. The new species is also briefly compared with the other Opilioacarus species; Opilioacarus italicus (With, 1904) is considered a nomen dubium.

A new species of cave dwelling Neocarus (Acari: Opilioacaridae) from Bahia state, Brazil, with remarks on taxonomic characters.

Neocarus coronatus n. sp., is described from caves and the surrounding epigean habitats from a karst area of São Desidério county, Bahia state, Brazil. A dissection procedure is presented for the better use of scarce Opilioacaridae material, especially to analyze gut contents. Sexual dimorphism is presented, mainly differences in the density of setae on the dorsal shield in the prominent triangular anterior region. Females have an ovipositor with 3 pairs of smooth digitiform projections and 6-8 eugenital setae. Adults have a palpal tibiotarsus with 4 d setae. Using Low-Temperature Scanning Electron Microscopy (LT-SEM), evaluation of the chaetotaxy (especially setal shape) and morphology are greatly improved over standard light microscopy techniques enhancing the interpretation of characters for species differentiation. Also, we discuss the fragility of microinvertebrates in cave habitats.

A new genus of water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia, Wettinidae) from bromeliad phytotelmata in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest.

Adults of Bromeliacaruscardoso gen. n., sp. n. are described from phytotelmata of Quesneliaarvensis (Vellozo) Mez. (Bromeliaceae) in the subtropical area of the Atlantic rainforest, São Paulo State, Brazil. The new genus Bromeliacarus is proposed and diagnosed, based primarily on the autapomorphic presence of 7-9 pairs of acetabula flanking the gonopore. A possible relationship between Bromeliacarus and other Wettinidae are discussed.

Brasilacarus cocaris (Acari: Opilioacaridae), a new genus and species from Amazonia, Brazil.

A new genus and species of Opilioacaridae, Brasilacarus cocaris n. gen., n. sp., is described from adult females and males from Manaus, Brazil. Brief descriptions of damaged tritonymphs and deutonymphs are also provided. The new genus appears to be related to Caribeacarus but possess a unique group of additional strongly modified setae on the tibiotarsus. 

A new genus and two new species of Opilioacaridae (Acari: Parasitiformes) from Amazonia, Brazil with a key to world genera.

Collections of Opilioacaridae made close to 50 years ago in Manaus in the Amazonian Region have allowed the description of a new genus and two new species from Brazil, Amazonacarus setosus n.gen, n.sp. and A. paraensis n.gen, n.sp. These species show a unique combination of characters in the Opilioacaridae: a high number of foliate setae (10) on the palp tarsus with each seta bearing many lobes (6-7), a group of large, serrate setae (26-31) on the palp tibia (this group of setae is much smaller in other species), and 5-7 dorsal setae on idiosomal segment XVIII. Indiacarus and some Opilioacarus show 3-5 setae on segment XVIII, but these genera (and Caribeacarus) have fewer foliate setae on the palp (3-4). Females of Amazonacarus have an ovipositor of the "complex" type, with spiny projections and 2-4 genital setae, while males have two pairs of rounded, large glands.