TY  - JOUR
JF  - Acarologia
T1  - Two new species of Parasitengona mites (Trombidiformes: Erythraeidae) from Brazilian caves
VL  - 66
IS  - Suppl
SP  - 250
EP  - 250
PY  - 2026
SN  - 0044-586X
SN  - 2107-7207
PB  - Les Amis d'Acarologia
AU  - Ricardo, Bassini-Silva
AU  - Gabrielle Ribeiro de, Andrade
AU  - Maria Cristina Ferreira do, Rosário
AU  - Robson Almeida, Zampaulo
AU  - Cal, Welbourn
AU  - Antonio Domingos, Brescovit
AU  - Darci, Moraes Barros-Battesti
AU  - Fernando de Castro, Jacinavicius
UR  - https://doi.org/10.24349/jtch-h18u
DO  - 10.24349/jtch-h18u
DA  - 2026-07-20
ET  - 2026-07-20
KW  - Trombidiformes
KW  - Caves
KW  - Biodiversity
KW  - Systematics
KW  - Zoological collections
AB  - Caves are unique subterranean environments that harbor fragile ecosystems with highly specialized species and notable levels of endemism. In Brazil, knowledge of cave-dwelling mites remains limited, with only a small number of species formally described. This study aims to expand the knowledge of subterranean mite diversity through the description of new species from Brazilian caves. Specimens deposited in the Acarological Collection of the Instituto Butantan (IBSP) were examined. Morphological analyses were conducted using phase-contrast, differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy and Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM) to identify diagnostic characters. Comparative morphology was used to determine generic placement and species-level distinctions within the family Erythraeidae. Two new mite species belonging to the family Erythraeidae were identified and described, assigned to the genera Callidosomaand Iguatonia. These species can be distinguished from their congeners based on diagnostic morphological characters, including the shape of the prodorsal sclerite, the palpal setal formula, and the number of specialized setae on leg I. The new Callidosoma species represents the sixth species of the genus recorded from Brazil, whereas the new Iguatonia species represents only the second record of the genus in the country. These findings contribute to the inventory of subterranean mite biodiversity and improve the current understanding of the distribution of cave-associated erythraeid mites in Brazil.
ER -