Alpizetes, Mahunka, S., 2001

Mahunka, S., 2001, Oribatids from Switzerland VII (Acari: Oribatida: Mycobatidae 1) (Acarologica Genavensia XCIX), Archives des Sciences, Geneve 54, pp. 61-67 : 62-63

Alpizetes gen. n.

Diagnosis: Family Mycobatidae , minunthozetoid habitus. Rostral apex divided by a pair of deep incisions. Lamellae well developed, located conspicuously laterally, far from each other. Translamella absent. Lamellar cusp short, bearing lamellar setae. Rostral, lamellar and interlamellar setae nearly equal in length. Bothridium simple, cup-shaped, without scales, sensillus large, fusiform. Interbothridial region with a pair of enantiophyses and a pair of tubercles, the latter connected by a transverse bridge and bearing the interlamellar setae. Tutorium with a dentate cusp. Genal tooth simple, narrow. Humerosejugal porose organs indefinite in shape, sublamellar porose area absent. Pedotectum I concave basally, wide, convex anteriorly, covering acetabulum I. Custodium long and large, pointed distally. Circumpedal carina present. Notogaster with broad anterior tectum, pteromorphae immovable, without desclerotization line. Posterior median tectum present divided by overlapping lobes. Ten pairs of notogastral setae and 9 (an unpaired posteromedian one) poröse areas present. Subcapitulum without mental tectum. Epimeral setal formula: 3-1-2-1. Anogenital setal formula: 6-1-2-2. Postanal porose area absent. Palp setal formula: 2-1-2-9+1. All tarsi monodactylous. Solenidion phi2 arising in front of phi1 on small enantiophyses, phi1 on the surface of the segment. Tibia II with large, anterodorsal apophysis. Description based on male and female adult specimens.

Type species: Alpizetes behanae sp. n.

Remarks: Te new genus certainly belongs in the family Mycobatidae . It was Behan-Pelletier (1988) who compiled a table sowing the most important features for separating the genera (Table I: 1-19). In the new genus the mental tectum of the subcapitulum is missing (1), lamellae are removed from each other, placed rather marginally (2), translamella absent (3), setae in arising on ridges (4), enantiophyses present (5), lenticulus absent (6), notogaster with a small medial process (7), medial process convex (8), thickened bands bordering medial process (9), notogastral setae fine, but conspicuous (10), pteromorpha without hinge (11, 12), posterior notogastral tectum divided (13), pedotectum I concave basally (14), thickened band posteriorly of genital plates absent (15), notogastral porose areas present (16), tibia I without anterodorsal small apophysis, solenidion phi1 arising on the surface of the segment (17, 18), sexual dimorphism absent (19). The immovable pteromorpha, the lack of a subcapitular mental tectum and the divided nature of the posterior notogastral tectum are the features which class the taxon closest to Zachvatkinibates Saldybina, 1973. However, the shape of the lamellae and their distance apart, together with the lack of a translamella and the presence of an unpaired posteromedian porose area clearly differentiate the taxon. It may, furthermore, be separated from all other mycobatid taxa by its tripartite rostral apex and by the rostral seta being far removed from the apex of the tutorium. My opinion about suprageneric associations in the family Mycobatidae and a key to the supraspecific taxa will be given in the next paper discussing Swiss Mycobatidae (Mahunka, in prep.).

Derivatio nominis: alpi in Hungarian means living in the Alps, derived from the Alps, -zetes is a common generic ending for the poronotic oribatids.