Tenuipalpus, Castro & Beard & Ochoa & Bauchan & Feres, 2018

Castro, Elizeu B., Beard, Jennifer J., Ochoa, Ronald, Bauchan, Gary R. & Feres, Reinaldo J. F., 2018, Two new species of Tenuipalpus sensu stricto (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) from Brazil with a discussion on the ontogeny of leg setae, Zootaxa 4540 (1), pp. 178-210 : 179

Tenuipalpus sensu stricto group

Diagnosis (Based on Castro et al. 2016a). Female: Prodorsum semi-circular, wider than opisthosoma at sejugal furrow; anterior margin of shield with two median paired projections; with a pair of small lateral rounded projections anterior and adjacent to setae sc2; with a pair of weakly to strongly developed oblique carinae from setae sc1 to posterior margin of shield, carinae converging at posterior margin or with short central semicircular carina near posterior margin; carinae essentially dividing the prodorsum into three large plates; prodorsal shield with three pairs of setae (v2, sc1, sc2). Dorsal opisthosoma with a pair of obvious lateral conical projections posterior and adjacent to setae c3; with 10 pairs of setae (c1, c3, d1, d3, e1, e3, f2, f3, h1, h2 present; except f2 absent in T. lalbaghensis Channabasavanna & Lakkundi ). Dorsal lateral setae sc2, c3, e3, f2, f3 and h1 variable in shape from lanceolate, oblanceolate, obovate to ovate; central setae c1, d1, e1 variable in shape from oblanceolate to minute; setae h2 elongate, filiform; semicircular cuticular crests on opisthosoma present or absent. Palp usually two–three segmented (palp one segmented in T. chiclorum De Leon ). Venter with one–two pairs of setae 3a (i.e. 3a 2 present or absent) and one pair of setae 4a; membranous genital flap present, ventral and genital plates not developed; two to three pairs of pseudanal setae (commonly ps2–3 present; setae ps1 present only in T. banahawensis Corpuz-Raros , T. mahoensis Collyer and T. inophylli Gutierrez & Bolland ). Femora, genua and tibiae with setae d inserted in lateral position on tubercles; tarsus I–II bearing one antiaxial solenidion; tarsus I–II with seta ft″ short, broad, barbed, penniform (like a feather); tarsi I–IV with setae ft′ filiform. Male: Opisthosoma distinctly narrower than that of female; legs and dorsal setae usually similar to those of female; tarsus I–II bearing two solenidia (one paraxial, one antiaxial); tarsus III bearing zero–one solenidia, tarsus IV without solenidia. Immatures: Protonymphs and deutonymphs usually bearing one pair median projections on anterior margin, and one pair of projections anterior and adjacent to setae sc2.